Standard Lemma guide

lullaby

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈlʌləbaɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: L AH1 L AH0 B AY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A cradlesong, a soothing song to calm children or lull them to sleep.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • sing a lullaby

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To sing a lullaby to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the act of singing a quiet song to lull a child to sleep

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cradlesong

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: song, strain

4

noun

Meaning 4

a quiet song intended to lull a child to sleep

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cradlesong, berceuse

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: song, vocal

History

Etymology

From Middle English lullen (“to lull”) + bye. First recorded c. 1560. Compare Old English bī, bī (“lullaby!”, interjection).

Across languages

Translations

132 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: slaapliedjie — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Afrikaans: wiegeliedjie — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Albanian: nina-nanë — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Arabic: تَهْوِيدَة (tahwīda) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Armenian: օրոր (ōror) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Armenian: օրորոցային (ōrorocʻayin) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Assamese: নিচুকনি গীত (nisukoni git) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Azerbaijani: layla — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Azerbaijani: laylay — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Bashkir: сәңгелдәк йыры (səñgeldək yırı) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Bashkir: бишек йыры (bişek yırı) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Basque: lo-kanta — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Basque: sehaska-kanta — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Belarusian: калыха́нка (kalyxánka) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Central Bikol: lúlay — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Central Bikol: layláy — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Breton: luskellerez — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Bulgarian: приспи́вна пе́сен (prispívna pésen) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Burmese: ကျူးသောသီးချင်း (kyu:sau:si:hkyang:) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Buryat: үлгын дуун (ülgyn duun) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Catalan: cançó de bressol — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Catalan: vou-verivou — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Chinese Cantonese: 催眠曲 (ceoi1 min4 kuk1) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Chinese Cantonese: 搖籃曲 /摇篮曲 (jiu4 laam4 kuk1) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Chinese: 育囡仔歌 (zh-min-nan) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Chinese: 育囝歌 (io-kián-koa, io-kán-koa) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 催眠曲 (cuīmiánqǔ) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Chinese Mandarin: 搖籃曲 /摇篮曲 (yáolánqǔ) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Czech: ukolébavka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Danish: godnatsang — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Dutch: slaapliedje — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Dutch: wiegeliedje — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Dutch: wiegelied — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Esperanto: lulkanto — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Estonian: hällilaul — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Estonian: unelaul — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Finnish: tuutulaulu — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Finnish: kehtolaulu — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • French: berceuse — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Galician: nana — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Galician: arrolo — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Georgian: იავნანა (iavnana) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • German: Schlaflied — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • German: Wiegenlied — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Greek: νανούρισμα (nanoúrisma) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Ancient Greek: βαυκάλημα (baukálēma) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Gujarati: હાલરડું (hālarḍũ) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Hebrew: שִׁיר עֶרֶשׂ (shir éres) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Hindi: लोरी (lorī) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Hungarian: altatódal — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Hungarian: bölcsődal — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Icelandic: vögguvísa — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Ido: bersokanto — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Indonesian: nina-bobok — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Irish: suantraí — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Italian: ninna nanna — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Japanese: 子守歌 (komoriuta) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Japanese: ララバイ (rarabai) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Kalmyk: өлгән дун (ölgän dun) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Kazakh: бесік жыры (besık jyry) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Khmer: ទំនុកបំពេរ (tumnuk bɑmpee) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Korean: 자장가 (jajangga) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Korean: 자장노래 (jajangnorae) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Kyrgyz: бешик ыры (beşik ırı) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Lao: ເພງກ່ອມເດັກ (phēng kǭm dek) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Latin: lallus — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Latvian: šūpļa dziesma — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Lithuanian: lopšinė — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Macedonian: приспивна песна (prispivna pesna) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Malay: dondang — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Malay: nyannyan pengulit — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Malay: nina-bobok — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Manx: arrane cadlee — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Māori: taiapo — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Māori: pōpō — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Māori: ngāoriori — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Māori: oriori — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Marathi: अंगाईगीत (aṅgāīgīt) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Mongolian: бүүвэйн дуу (büüvejn duu) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Norman: bèrcheuse — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vuggesang — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vuggevise — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Iranian Persian: لالایی (lâlâyi) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Plautdietsch: Wieejeleet — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Polish: kołysanka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Portuguese: canção de embalar — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Portuguese: canção de ninar — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Romanian: cântec de leagăn — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Russian: колыбе́льная (kolybélʹnaja) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Scottish Gaelic: òran tàlaidh — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: успаванка — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: уљуљка — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: уколевка — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: uspavanka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: uljuljka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Serbo-Croatian: ukolevka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Sicilian: avò — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Sicilian: ninna-nanna — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Slovak: uspávanka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Slovene: uspavanka — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: canción de cuna — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: nana — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: canto de cuna — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: arrullo — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: arroró — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: arrorró — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: arrurrú — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Spanish: arrurú — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Swedish: vaggvisa — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Swedish: vaggsång — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Tagalog: oyayi — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Tagalog: lulay — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Tajik: алла (alla) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Tajik: лолоӣ (loloyi) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Tamil: தாலாட்டு (tālāṭṭu) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Telugu: జోలపాట (jōlapāṭa) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Telugu: లాలిపాట (lālipāṭa) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Thai: เพลงกล่อมเด็ก (pleeng-glɔ̀m-dèk) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Turkish: ninni — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Turkmen: hüvdi — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Turkmen: laý — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Ukrainian: колиско́ва (kolyskóva) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Urdu: لوری (lorī) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Uyghur: ئەللەي ناخشىسى (elley naxshisi) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Uzbek: alla — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Vietnamese: bài hát ru — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Volapük: klädömakanit — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Volapük: klädömalid — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Walloon: hosseuse — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Welsh: hwiangerdd — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Welsh: suo-gân — a soothing song to lull children to sleep
  • Yiddish: וויגליד (viglid) — a soothing song to lull children to sleep