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:
Treasury yields rose as markets face geopolitical uncertainty and brace for interest rate increases amid a lull in economic indicators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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
Bali has seen tourist numbers recover past its pandemic lull.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The seeming lull in job postings and hiring likely stems in part from the five-month-old conflict with Iran and the spike in oil prices.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
She just couldn’t move fast enough, not through the lull fog.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
The 19-year-old, sporting a budding beard, usually operates from home, filling lulls by watching the TV show Criminal Minds or honing his drone-flying skills on a simulator.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The good news is that there will be lulls between the successive weather systems, with sparkling sunshine and crisper conditions.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
He heads to Kohl’s and FedEx along the route to make some returns during lulls in scheduled pickups, clearing space as he heads to get more orders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
As families gather for the holidays, lulls in the festivities provide a calm, unhurried opportunity to have heartfelt talks.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
Voices cried “Happy New Year!” and gloating laughter rolled down from the lulls through the darkness like a witch’s glee.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
"People potentially get lulled into a sense of security when the intensity of sunlight is weak and they spend too long outdoors without adequate protection. We have shown that is a problem for skin damage."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 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
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
And it was easy to be lulled by Styx’s tide.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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
Combined, they mean lulling the opponent into complacency, Mr. Pillsbury said.
From Washington Times ● May 4, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
