lullaby

American  

[luhl-uh-bahy] / ˈlʌl əˌbaɪ /

noun

plural

lullabies

1. a song used to lull a child to sleep; cradlesong.

2. any lulling song.

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verb (used with object)

lullabied, lullabying

1. to lull with or as with a lullaby.

lullaby British  

/ ˈlʌləˌbaɪ /

noun

1. a quiet song to lull a child to sleep

2. the music for such a song

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verb

1. (tr) to quiet or soothe with or as if with a lullaby

Etymology

Origin of lullaby

1550–60; equivalent to lulla, lulla ( y ), interjection used in cradlesongs ( late Middle English lullai, lulli ) + -by, as in bye-bye

Explanation

If anyone has ever sung a song to you before bedtime, trying to lull you to sleep, you can call that song a lullaby. Lullabies are usually soft and soothing tunes — more like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" than AC/DC's "Back in Black." Many lullabies are folk tunes, and most of them are simple melodies with repetitive lyrics. You might be familiar with lullabies like "Hush, Little Baby," "Rockabye Baby," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," all of which have been sung for generations to sleepy children by their parents, grandparents, and babysitters. The word lullaby comes from the Middle English lullen, "to lull or soothe," and bye, as in "bye bye."

Example Sentences

The album’s second hit love song, “Baby, I Love Your Way,” is a rock lullaby.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

“Writing a lullaby helped to preserve the maternal aura that had to be maintained in ghettoes and camps with large populations of women and children.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Soundtracking it is a snippet of “Sueña Lindo, Corazón,” a tender, stripped-down folk lullaby for a wounded heart.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

I watch it when I’m getting ready in the morning, and it’s kind of my lullaby when I go to bed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

“Will you sing us the lullaby before bed?” said a fourth.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton