lull

[luhl]

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.

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

Related Words for lulling

soothe, lullaby, subdue, wane, dwindle, hush, stroke, decrease, allay, still, compose, ebb, subside, becalm, moderate, balm, soft-pedal, quell, abate, fall

Examples from the Web for lulling

Historical Examples of lulling

The lulling hymns were like the very vertigo that bore them away.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
She led him back to bed, soothing him like a child, lulling him with a fib.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
The distant lawns were lulling to sleep the breezes that kissed them.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
Pedro Montero had a talent for lulling his adversaries into a sense of security.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
Joseph Conrad
And I fancy that you will not believe, either, that the sea is lulling now.
The Lady and the Pirate
Emerson Hough

British Dictionary definitions for lulling

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

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 lulling

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.