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lull

lull

28 4.6
A short quiet time when activity pauses
  • noun
  • /lʌl/
translation icon : pausa
  • There was a brief lull in the storm, allowing us to assess the damage outside.

Macy's says there was a lull of sales outside of holiday weekends.

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Examples

  • What if there's a lull in the conversation?

  • Fortunately, we've had a little bit of a lull before the surge.

  • And there was a lull in the conversation.

  • Well, not long enough, because you gave me just that little lull to jump in.

  • Not much traffic: at the college, it was the lull before the summer term began.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Now, there was a lull in the conversation, and Emma jumped in.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • We'd had a few beers, and there was a lull in the conversation.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • We've seen lulls like this in activity before.

  • A short lull in the fighting follows, which Sinclair uses to pull in his perimeter and form a tighter defense.

  • During a momentary lull, the flat hum of a carrier wave filled my head.

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

pause
vslull
192 1.0

A short stop in speaking or activity

is a calm quiet interval rather than a simple stop
hiatus
vslull
34 6.3

A pause in an activity or series that is usually temporary

is a brief calm period rather than an extended gap in continuity
breather
vslull
  • Informal
31 3.4

A short rest to recover energy

is a quiet calm pause, not focused on resting
letup
vslull
4 5.5

A short pause when something becomes less strong or active, for example rain

is calmer and quieter rather than only a drop in intensity

Antonyms

362 1.1

A state of being busy and moving

4 3.0

The state of having many things to do

How Long

hiatus
34 6.3
lull
28 4.6
respite
25 7.2
break
1.0
pause
192 1.0

Surface Forms

lull singular
lulls plural

Etymology

Lull comes from an old word meaning 'to soothe' and is related to lullaby, a soft song that quiets babies; imagine a gentle sound that makes noise die away. So a lull is a short calm or pause in activity.