lull
Americanverb (used with object)
-
lulls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lulled,
past participle, past
-
lulling
present participle
-
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)
-
lulls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lulled,
past participle, past
-
lulling
present participle
noun
-
lulls
plural
-
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
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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The Cay
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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:
The lull in new models comes amid tepid U.S. auto sales as buyers balk at high vehicle prices and seek relief from rising gas prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Unlike a simple checklist, it felt like the app was doing everything in its power to lull you into spending more time there.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
The market pays close attention to the Fed chief’s remarks at this event, which comes at the end of the summer lull and where shifts in Fed thinking are often laid out.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Bali has seen tourist numbers recover past its pandemic lull.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
And when I finish there's a lull and she says, "Can I ask you something random?"
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
In marking these tragic anniversaries, let’s applaud the liberty and prosperity that lulls us, while vowing to resist the totalitarian threats menacing us, be they overseas or next door.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 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
During lulls, Rosario showed off the green, red and white shirts she ordered for her and Raul for the crew’s Mexican Independence Day celebration the following week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
That Sunday, for instance, during one of the many lulls, Aunt Zo turned around and dared to joke.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
But they cannot afford to be lulled into a false sense of security.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Inflation remained subdued, which lulled markets and borrowers into thinking that low rates represented the new normal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
After an initial splurge on travel and entertainment, retirees are often lulled into a sense of complacency because their spending tends to decrease during the first decade after leaving the workforce.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
While there was movement on the bases for both starters, the game lulled until the seventh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Its soft hooting was like a song, and as it grew rhythmic it calmed the moonlit hills and lulled us to sleep.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
And yet, at 80 mph, wind noise is reduced to a lulling hush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 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
Combined, they mean lulling the opponent into complacency, Mr. Pillsbury said.
From Washington Times ● May 4, 2023
Was it “Chimeras,” the electronic musician guessed by phone before a recent Berlin performance, selecting a 2006 piece where prickles of electric guitar scatter like a galaxy around a lulling beat?
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
He felt the words on the page lulling him to go deeper into the adventure.
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
