Lull means a temporary period of quiet or calm, especially during something that's usually busy or intense. When a storm pauses before starting up again, that peaceful moment is a lull. When a heated classroom debate suddenly goes quiet for a few moments, that's a lull in the conversation.

Think of a lull as nature's or life's way of taking a brief breath. During a lull in traffic, the busy street empties out temporarily. During a lull in the school day, the hallways might fall silent between class periods. Sailors speak of the doldrums, regions of the ocean with such a complete lull in the wind that sailing ships would sit motionless for days.

The word can also be a verb meaning to calm someone or make them feel peaceful and sleepy. Parents lull babies to sleep with gentle rocking and soft singing. The steady rhythm of rain on a roof might lull you into drowsiness during an afternoon reading session.

Be careful not to get lulled into a false sense of security, though. That phrase means becoming careless because things seem calm, forgetting that the calm might be temporary. A student might be lulled into overconfidence by easy homework early in the semester, only to struggle when assignments get harder later.