plural folk or folks
1
folk or folks plural
: people generally
2
folk or folks plural
: a certain kind, class, or group of people
old folks
just plain folk
country folk
media folk
3
4
: folk music
5
: the great proportion of the members of a people that determines the group character and that tends to preserve its characteristic form of civilization and its customs, arts and crafts, legends, traditions, and superstitions from generation to generation
6
archaic
: a group of kindred tribes forming a nation : people
1
: originating or traditional with the common people of a country or region and typically reflecting their lifestyle
folk hero
folk music
2
: of or relating to the common people or to the study of the common people
folk sociology
Examples of folk in a Sentence
Noun
Folks say that house is haunted.
Some folks think the law should be changed.
a home for old folks
the distinctive speech of folks from the South
I'll be spending the holidays with my folks.
His folks gave him everything a kid could want.
Recent Examples on the Web
Essence, 24 Apr. 2025
Here’s exactly how to approach the conversation with your folks, and how to navigate the most common scenarios.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
Stuart Munro, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022
The songwriter in question is Phoebe Kreutz, darling of the New York City anti-folk movement of the early ‘00s.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for folk
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Noun
Start small—research, visit, and connect with folks who’ve already made the move.
—Essence, 24 Apr. 2025
Here’s exactly how to approach the conversation with your folks, and how to navigate the most common scenarios.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
As has been its wont for many years now, over its three days the festival offers a lineup that mixes folk and roots (however understood) and non-folk artists.
—Stuart Munro, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022
The songwriter in question is Phoebe Kreutz, darling of the New York City anti-folk movement of the early ‘00s.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for folk
Cite this Entry
“Folk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folk. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
folk
2 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or originating among the common people of a country or region
folk customs
folk music
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