folk

1 of 2

noun

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

folk

2 of 2

adjective

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
Noun
Variety will present its second annual Power of Comedy event at the festival, honoring funny folk including Pamela Adlon, Cazzie David and Hannah Einbinder. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Transcript Alan Murray: Leadership Next is powered by the folks at Deloitte who, like me, are exploring the changing rules of business leadership and how CEOs are navigating this change. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Even with the Masters Tournament having returned to full and glorious capacity, the folks at Augusta National are doing it yet again, delivering the iconic foods of the Masters directly to homes across the country so fans can create the ultimate watch party. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2024 The boldest folks walked right up to the man with curly hair, eyes hidden behind sunglasses, and asked for a picture. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 No one has ever accused Kim Kardashian of being overly in touch with the common folk, but her March 4 Instagram grid post sparked a particularly loud backlash, even for her. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2024 That’s by design, according to the folks at Dodge, dismissing the description of many current electric vehicle offerings in the market already, during a recent background event. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 While many folks are familiar with March Madness, the NCAA basketball finals that take place every March, Vas-Madness, may not be familiar. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The Canyon folks saw my predicament, agreed that my eight-year-old model wouldn’t cut it, and instead loaned me an Ultimate CF SL Disc 8.0 Aero. Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024
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 The Moscow-born and Bronx-raised singer/songwriter/pianist has been performing for 20 years now, starting in the anti-folk scene in New York’s East Village. Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 July 2022 Merrifield sought instead to explore folk magic through the material objects that the practitioners themselves had left behind. Geoff Manaugh, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2019 This year, the event will feature more folk dancing groups, Plevrakis said, and guests can enjoy a DJ on Friday and Sunday, plus a live band on Saturday. Christine Condon, baltimoresun.com, 13 June 2019 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, 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, 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, 20 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'folk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English folc; akin to Old High German folc people

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of folk was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near folk

Cite this Entry

“Folk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

folk

1 of 2 noun
plural folk or folks
1
: a group of people forming a tribe or nation
2
plural : a certain kind or class of people
country folks
3
plural : people in general
4
folks plural : the persons of one's own family
especially : parents
visit my folks
5
: folk music

folk

2 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or originating among the common people of a country or region
folk customs
folk music

More from Merriam-Webster on folk

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