Which of the following is a primary meaning of lull?

• A. cause to sleep, rest, or calm, typically with soothing sounds or movements
• B. become calm
• C. a temporary calm, quiet, or stillness, as in a storm
• D. cause someone feel secure, relaxed, or confident instead of careful and alert, especially by deception

Answer: (A)

Lull most fundamentally means to cause someone to sleep, rest, or become calm, usually through gentle sounds or movements. That active sense focuses on the doer bringing about a state of quiet or sleep in another person, which is why it’s the primary usage you’ll see in everyday language—like a lullaby or a soothing voice that settles a fussy child.

The other ideas are related but not the core action. Becoming calm is about a subject reaching calm on its own, not about someone or something causing that calm. A temporary calm or quiet in a storm is a noun form, describing the pause itself rather than the act of causing sleep or calm. The sense of lulling someone into a false sense of security by deception is a more specialized, figurative use that hinges on the same root idea but isn’t the basic, everyday meaning.