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lull

[luhl]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to put to sleep or rest by soothing means: to lull a child by singing.
  2. to soothe or quiet.
  3. to give or lead to feel a false sense of safety; cause to be less alert, aware, or watchful.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to quiet down, let up, or subside: furious activity that finally lulled.
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noun
  1. a temporary calm, quiet, or stillness: a lull in a storm.
  2. a soothing sound: the lull of falling waters.
  3. a pacified or stupefied condition: The drug had put him in a lull.
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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. 2018

Related Words

soothelullabysubduewanedwindlehushstrokedecreaseallaystillcomposeebbsubsidebecalmmoderatebalmsoft-pedalquellabatefall

Examples from the Web for lulling

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • The distant lawns were lulling to sleep the breezes that kissed them.

  • Pedro Montero had a talent for lulling his adversaries into a sense of security.

  • And I fancy that you will not believe, either, that the sea is lulling now.

British Dictionary definitions for lulling

lull

verb
  1. to soothe (a person or animal) by soft sounds or motions (esp in the phrase lull to sleep)
  2. to calm (someone or someone's fears, suspicions, etc), esp by deception
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noun
  1. a short period of calm or diminished activity
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Derived Formslulling, adjective

Word Origin

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

v.

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.

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lull

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper