lull

views updated

lull / ləl/ • v. [tr.] calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements: the rhythm of the boat lulled her to sleep. ∎  cause (someone) to feel deceptively secure or confident: the rarity of earthquakes there has lulled people into a false sense of security. ∎  allay (a person's doubts, fears, or suspicions), typically by deception. ∎  [intr.] (of noise or a storm) abate or fall quiet: conversation lulled for an hour.• n. a temporary interval of quiet or lack of activity: for two days there had been a lull in the fighting.PHRASES: the lull before the stormsee storm.

More From encyclopedia.com