lull
- 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.
- to quiet down, let up, or subside: furious activity that finally lulled.
- 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.
Origin of lull
Related Words for lull
layoff, letup, hiatus, breather, hush, calmness, respite, time-out, soothe, tranquility, stop, quiet, break, quiescence, stillness, comma, abeyance, downtime, silence, lullabyExamples from the Web for lull
Contemporary Examples of lull
For now, even the tragedy that left many local people in shock and heartbroken has not brought on a lull in the fighting.
But during that lull period, were you concerned that Disney was losing its mojo?
The ‘Maleficent’ Screenwriter Also Wrote ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’Kevin Fallon
June 1, 2014
“All right,” the Colonel would say whenever there was a lull.
Since then, there has been a lull in the fitness game genre.
Following a lull in the shooting, Murphy came out and looked in the direction where he expected to see the shooter.
15 Rounds and Still Talking: Lt. Brian Murphy’s Story of the Oak Creek MassacreSimran Jeet Singh
August 5, 2013
Historical Examples of lull
But the lull in the music had started conversation in other parts of the room.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
At last there was a lull in the monologue and I arose and said I must be going.
City of Endless NightMilo Hastings
But a lull in a newspaper office is seldom of long duration.
Jennie Baxter, JournalistRobert Barr
In the lull of drinking, Madden lifted his water to his friend.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
The lull in naval construction, however, was of short duration.
lull
- 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
- a short period of calm or diminished activity
Word Origin for lull
Word Origin and History for lull
early 14c., lullen "hush to sleep," probably imitative of lu-lu sound used to lull a child to sleep (cf. Swedish lulla "to hum a lullaby," German lullen "to rock," Sanskrit lolati "moves to and fro," Middle Dutch lollen "to mutter"). Figurative use from 1570s. Related: Lulled; lulling.
1650s as the name of a soothing drink, from lull (v.). Meaning "period of quiet in a storm" is from 1815.