1
: traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people
Paul Bunyan is a figure from folklore.
Like its predecessor, the game draws from elements of African folklore and spiritual beliefs.—
Megan Farokhmanesh
Megan Farokhmanesh2
: a branch of knowledge that deals with folklore
a specialist in folklore
3
: an often unsupported notion, story, or saying that is widely circulated
the folklore about the health risks of computers
Examples of folklore in a Sentence
Noun (1)
The coyote appears in a great deal of Native American folklore.
the rich folklore of Louisiana
He can't tell the difference between fact and folklore.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 June 2026
The incident is the latest tragedy on Lake Lanier, one of the nation's busiest recreational lakes and a body of water that has become the subject of both public safety concerns and persistent folklore.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 15 June 2026
These seven sites sit at a rather eerie intersection of science and folklore.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Regarded as an auteur and a leading figure in slow cinema, Weerasethakul has worked outside the confines of commercial Thai cinema on films that explore subjects like memory, dreams, sexuality, political violence, and folklore.
—News Desk, Artforum, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for folklore
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Noun
These are places from Filipino folklore, where shapeshifters, demons, witches, and monsters exist.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 June 2026
The incident is the latest tragedy on Lake Lanier, one of the nation's busiest recreational lakes and a body of water that has become the subject of both public safety concerns and persistent folklore.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 15 June 2026
These seven sites sit at a rather eerie intersection of science and folklore.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Regarded as an auteur and a leading figure in slow cinema, Weerasethakul has worked outside the confines of commercial Thai cinema on films that explore subjects like memory, dreams, sexuality, political violence, and folklore.
—News Desk, Artforum, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for folklore
Cite this Entry
“Folklore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folklore. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
folklore
noun
folk·lore
ˈfōk-ˌlō(ə)r 
-ˌlȯ(ə)r
: customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings of a people handed down from generation to generation
folkloric
adjective
-ˌlȯr-ik
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