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

Verb

• becalm
• calm
• compose
• lullaby
• quiet
• quieten [chiefly British]
• salve
• settle
• soothe
• still
• tranquilize
• tranquillize

Noun

• break
• breath
• breather
• interruption
• pause
• recess

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

Visitors might at first be lulled into thinking the space is simply a chic apartment with a design studio tucked into the living space. —Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Although there were promising deposits in the United States, China flooded the market, dropping prices and lulling companies into purchasing Chinese minerals. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025

Noun

Don’t wait for a business lull or career crossroads to reconnect. —Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

But intensifying Russian attacks against Kyiv earlier this week following a lull over the Easter holiday led Trump to take a rare shot against Putin on Thursday. —Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025

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
• ndebele
• 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