lull

noun

/lʌl/

[usually singular]

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lull (in something) a quiet period between times of activity
- a lull in the conversation/fighting
- Just before an attack everything would go quiet but we knew it was just the lull before the storm (= before a time of noise or trouble).
Extra Examples
- They crossed the road during a lull in the traffic.
- There will probably be a lull over the winter, followed by a resurgence of activity next spring.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- brief
- temporary
- long
- …
verb + lull
- hit
preposition
- during a/the lull
- lull in
See full entry
Word OriginMiddle English: imitative of sounds used to quieten a child; compare with Latin lallare ‘sing to sleep’, Swedish lulla ‘hum a lullaby’, and Dutch lullen ‘talk nonsense’. The noun (first recorded in the sense ‘soothing drink’) dates from the mid 17th cent.

lull

verb

/lʌl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they lull	/lʌl/ /lʌl/
he / she / it lulls	/lʌlz/ /lʌlz/
past simple lulled	/lʌld/ /lʌld/
past participle lulled	/lʌld/ /lʌld/
-ing form lulling	/ˈlʌlɪŋ/ /ˈlʌlɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive] lull somebody to make somebody relaxed and calm synonym soothe
- The vibration of the engine lulled the children to sleep.
- He was lulled by the peaceful sound of the rain.
- She lulled the baby back to sleep.
[transitive, intransitive] lull (something) to make something, or to become, less strong
- His father's arrival lulled the boy's anxiety.

Word OriginMiddle English: imitative of sounds used to quieten a child; compare with Latin lallare ‘sing to sleep’, Swedish lulla ‘hum a lullaby’, and Dutch lullen ‘talk nonsense’. The noun (first recorded in the sense ‘soothing drink’) dates from the mid 17th cent.