lull
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put to sleep or rest by soothing means.
to lull a child by singing.
-
to soothe or quiet.
-
to give or lead to feel a false sense of safety; cause to be less alert, aware, or watchful.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a temporary calm, quiet, or stillness.
a lull in a storm.
-
a soothing sound.
the lull of falling waters.
-
a pacified or stupefied condition.
The drug had put him in a lull.
verb
-
to soothe (a person or animal) by soft sounds or motions (esp in the phrase lull to sleep )
-
to calm (someone or someone's fears, suspicions, etc), esp by deception
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lullsimple
-
lullssimple
-
have lulledperfect
-
has lulledperfect
-
am lullingprogressive
-
are lullingprogressive
-
is lullingprogressive
-
have been lullingperfect progressive
-
has been lullingperfect progressive
Past
-
lulledsimple
-
had lulledperfect
-
was lullingprogressive
-
were lullingprogressive
-
had been lullingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lull
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English lullen, of expressive origin; compare Swedish lulla, German lullen, Latin lallāre “to sing a lullaby”
Explanation
See lull, think "calm." It could be the noun form (like "the lull before the storm") or the verb: one can lull someone by calming them (as in lulling a baby to sleep with a lullaby). The noun lull is often used in relation to a storm, but the term has a broader meaning as well. Lull can be used to describe any temporary period of calm or diminished activity, like the quiet time before the lunch rush in a restaurant or the brief period of tranquility before the doors open for a pre-Christmas sale. The word's verb form means "to soothe or to make someone feel relaxed." When used as a verb lull can turn deceptive, and it is often used to convey a false sense of security.
Vocabulary lists containing lull
List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Cay
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mediators are using a lull in the fighting to patch together a quick fix to reopen the strait, hoping it paves the way for substantive talks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The crowds were a welcome boon for the bartenders, enlivening what is usually a lull at Joxer Daly’s, which is away from the beaches and beer gardens where customers gather in the summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Instead of a summer lull, the meeting promises one last clash between the hawks and doves before anyone reaches for the sunscreen," said Brzeski.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
There was a lull in the South Africa scoring as Wales battled to hang on and the hosts proved unusually wasteful in the tourists' 22.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Then I stared at the wall beside my bed thinking the blank boringness of it would lull me to sleep, but no.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Elsie, after weeks of conversational lulls, started using the phone daily to coordinate French braids with soccer teammates and inquire about practice times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
It tends to go through deep lulls once customers get their drives in place and supply catches up to demand.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
As families gather for the holidays, lulls in the festivities provide a calm, unhurried opportunity to have heartfelt talks.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
One of the only lulls in the costume department comes in the second act when Valjean sings the emotional “Bring Him Home.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
She say, Times like this, lulls, us ought to do something different Like what?
From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
I fall asleep in Salmon’s bunk bed, lulled by Dragon Masters 5: Song of the Poison Dragon.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
His point: We are being lulled into accepting “true enough” as a proxy for actual truth—while losing the habit of verifying information for ourselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Her partner, Art Linfoot, built the house they lost, a cabin with a wraparound porch and a year-round brook where deer drank and the sound of the water lulled the couple to sleep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
"We are lulled into a sense of false security if you're used to small eruptions and the volcano acting safe. You assume the next will be the same - but it might not," she says.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2025
The sounds lulled Janie to soft slumber and she woke up with Tea Cake combing her hair and scratching the dandruff from her scalp.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
The first hour of the drive was easy enough, lulling us into a false sense of security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
So it was surprising that Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, started hosting a YouTube show, the purpose of which appears to be lulling viewers to sleep.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2025
But the voice in their ear lulling them to sleep is not from Mr. Stewart, who died in 1997.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
Recently, when nothing was lulling me to slumber, I finally surrendered to the siren call of celebrity spiritual sage Jay Shetty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2023
His voice is lulling, hypnotic, but my heart speeds anyway.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
