1
: traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people
The coyote appears in much of Native American folklore.
Paul Bunyan is a figure from folklore.
2
: 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
Synonyms
Examples of folklore in a Sentence
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
In English literature and folklore, a black dog was a demonic hellhound that served as an omen of death.
—
Bryan West, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
That’s a signature of lyricist and musical director Finn Anderson, whose other works, too, deal in enchanting folklore.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Swift snags seven of the top 20, including folklore (at No. 7), Lover (No. 9), evermore (No. 13) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 15).
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Initially used for lookalikes in German folklore and literature, the term now describes duplicates and doubles in an array of worldwide traditions.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
British folklore also links April Fool's Day to the 13th century.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Mar. 2024
There are also superstitions and folklore attached to the date.
—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 6 Feb. 2024
An Elusive American Artist: Joan Jonas’s maximalist, category-defying work combines video, performance, folklore, sculpture and ecology.
—Max Berlinger Stefan Ruiz, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Bryan West, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
That’s a signature of lyricist and musical director Finn Anderson, whose other works, too, deal in enchanting folklore.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Swift snags seven of the top 20, including folklore (at No. 7), Lover (No. 9), evermore (No. 13) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 15).
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Initially used for lookalikes in German folklore and literature, the term now describes duplicates and doubles in an array of worldwide traditions.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
British folklore also links April Fool's Day to the 13th century.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Mar. 2024
There are also superstitions and folklore attached to the date.
—Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 6 Feb. 2024
An Elusive American Artist: Joan Jonas’s maximalist, category-defying work combines video, performance, folklore, sculpture and ecology.
—Max Berlinger Stefan Ruiz, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'folklore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to folklore
Dictionary Entries Near folklore
Cite this Entry
“Folklore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folklore. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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
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