lull

[ luhl ]

/ lʌl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lull ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (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)

to quiet down, let up, or subside: furious activity that finally lulled.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of lull

1300–50; Middle English lullen, of expressive orig.; compare Swedish lulla, German lullen, Latin lallāre to sing lullaby

Related formslull·er, nounlull·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lull

For now, even the tragedy that left many local people in shock and heartbroken has not brought on a lull in the fighting.
In the Killing Fields of Ukraine with Children Who Saw the MH17 Horror|Anna Nemtsova|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
“All right,” the Colonel would say whenever there was a lull.
The Night Vince Lombardi Lay Awake Brooding Over a 49-0 Win|W.C. Heinz|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since then, there has been a lull in the fitness game genre.
Can I Lose Weight Playing Video Games?|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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 Massacre|Simran Jeet Singh|August 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But every now and then there is a lull; we become quiet, each absorbed in his own thoughts.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Infatuated dreamer, think you it is the subsiding of the storm, and not rather the lull that precedes it?
Piccadilly|Laurence Oliphant
In a lull between the squalls he shouted to Spillane to examine the trolley of the car.
Dutch Courage and Other Stories|Jack London
We had had a very stiff time for six or seven hours and were resting during a lull in the firing.
500 of the Best Cockney War Stories|Various
Vainly he sought to lull it, to keep it earthward, to laugh at his own aspirations—useless labor!
My Recollections of Lord Byron|Teresa Guiccioli

British Dictionary definitions for lull

lull

/ (lʌl) /

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

a short period of calm or diminished activity

Derived Formslulling, adjective

Word Origin for lull

C14: possibly imitative of crooning sounds; related to Middle Low German lollen to soothe, Middle Dutch lollen to talk drowsily, mumble

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lull

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.

lull

1650s as the name of a soothing drink, from lull (v.). Meaning "period of quiet in a storm" is from 1815.

lull

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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Origin of lull

Examples from the Web for lull

lull

verb

noun

Word Origin for lull

lull

lull