lull

1 of 2

verb

ˈləl 

lulled; lulling; lulls

transitive verb

1

: to cause to sleep or rest : soothe

He was lulled to sleep by her soothing voice.

2

: to cause to relax vigilance

were lulled into a false sense of security

lull

2 of 2

noun

1

: a temporary pause or decline in activity

the early-morning lull in urban noise

: such as

a

: a temporary drop in business activity

b

: a temporary calm before or during a storm

2

archaic : something that lulls

especially : lullaby

Synonyms of lull

Verb

• calm
• soothe
• compose
• quiet
• appease

Noun

• pause
• break
• breath
• interruption

Examples of lull in a Sentence

Verb

The music lulled him to sleep.

the absence of attacks for such an extended period had lulled the nation into a false sense of security

Noun

we took the opportunity of a lull in the conversation to announce that we were engaged to be married

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

While subway surfing, track intrusions, and train break-ins remain a persistent problem for the MTA and NYPD, lethal incidents have lulled since a surfing spike in 2024. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 2026

The defense was lulled to sleep and started to celebrate, only for this genius to then scoop the ball up and race down the sidelines for a game-winning score. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Noun

For the rest of the second quarter, UConn hit an offensive lull, struggling against Ohio State’s defense. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 12 Nov. 2026

During lulls in fighting, the bill came to roughly two-thirds of this figure. — Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English; probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1719, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing lull

• the calm/lull before the storm

Rhymes for lull

• cull
• dull
• gul
• gull
• null
• scull
• skull
• stull
• trull
• tulle
• seagull

Kids Definition

lull

1 of 2 verb

ˈləl 

1

: to cause to sleep or rest

2

: to cause to relax vigilance

were lulled into a false sense of security

lull

2 of 2 noun

1

: a temporary calm before or during a storm

2

: a temporary drop in activity