lull

lull¹ [lʌl] v [T]

[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Probably from the sound of someone singing to a baby]

1.) to make someone feel calm or as if they want to sleep

▪ The hum of the tyres on the road lulled her to sleep.

2.) to make someone feel safe and confident so that they are completely surprised when something bad happens

lull sb into (doing) sth

▪ The police lulled me into believing that they did not suspect us.

▪ Earthquakes here are rare and this has lulled people into a false sense of security (=made people think they were safe when they were not) .

lull ²

lull² n

1.) a short period of time when there is less activity or less noise than usual

lull in

▪ a brief lull in the conversation

▪ a lull in the fighting

2.) the lull before the storm

a short period of time when things are calm that is followed by a lot of activity, noise, or trouble