folk

noun

\ ˈfōk

plural folk or folks

Definition of folk

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 archaic : a group of kindred tribes forming a nation : people

2 : 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

3 folk or folks plural : a certain kind, class, or group of people old folks just plain folk country folk media folk

4 folk or folks plural : people generally

5 folks plural : the persons of one's own family especially : parents

6 : folk music

folk

adjective

Definition of folk (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about folk

Keep scrolling for more

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: Noun

With apologies to the well-meaning folks at the ECFR, their report on the rise of these parties is emblematic of Europe’s problem. — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, "Saving Europe by Destroying It From Within," 14 Feb. 2019 Such security holes inspired hackers like Rotem and the folks at Security Research Labs to recommend adding Captchas and limiting retry attempts from a single IP address to hold back brute-force attacks. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "A Hacker Exposed the Ancient Flaw That Makes Airlines So Hackable," 17 Jan. 2019 Some were almost instantly calling for this trailer to be made into an actual film or television series, with folks tagging Netflix repeatedly in the comments to get the streaming platform's attention. — Allie Gemmill, Teen Vogue, "A “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Fan Made an Intense Movie Trailer Version of the Sitcom," 14 Mar. 2019 Then with Lacroix from 1987 until 2009 shows were like stage productions for me, with all inspiration coming from history and art, or folk and ethnics. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Talking With @fkachristianlacroix, aka the Real Christian Lacroix, About Instagram and the 1980s," 13 Mar. 2019 The aesthetic of the Arts and Crafts movement, which were rooted in nature and folk styles, were swapped for simplicity and geometric purity. — Todd Plummer, Harper's BAZAAR, "The 100-Year-Old German Art School That’s Still Influencing the Fashion World," 13 Feb. 2019 And none of those folks are required, of course, to sell any stock. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "The 2019 IPO class headlined by Uber will create a ton of new wealth. Will the billions go to mansions or missions?," 20 Dec. 2018 Sports fans will want to step up to higher tiers (with MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, etc.), but a lot of folks will be totally fine sticking to the cheapest option. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "The Verge Cord Cutter’s Guide: hardware, software, and services," 20 Dec. 2018 Today’s action sheds more light on the wealthy few who are trying to buy our elections and drown out the voices of regular folks. — Michelle Ye Hee Lee, The Seattle Times, "Senate votes to overturn Trump administration donor disclosure rule for ‘dark money’ groups," 12 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

After Carly and Martina, indie band Half-Alive and folk musician Liza Anne finished off the series for the day. — Elena Weissmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Emerging Artist Series performers infuse youthful energy and soul into Summerfest," 3 July 2018 Programs such as soccer matches, a live animal show, free kids' activities, a book fair, folk art, and crafts, souvenirs and novelty items for sale will round out the festivities. — Mark Holan/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Hungarian Festival is largest in Ohio: Sun Postings," 26 Aug. 2017 Classical musicians usually refer to their instrument as a violin, and most folk players call it a fiddle. — Michael Austin, chicagotribune.com, "Syrah is like a violin, and shiraz is like a fiddle (but sometimes not)," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'folk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.