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The noun ilk comes from the Old English pronoun ilca by way of a pronoun ilk that is still in use, but not in most modern English dialects. That ilk is synonymous with same, and persists chiefly in Scotland where it's used in the phrase "of that ilk," meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name." It is generally used in reference to the names of land-owning families and their eponymous estates, as in "the Grants of that ilk," which means "the Grants of Grant." In the late 1700s, the Scots phrase extended to mean "of that kind or sort," a usage that found its way into modern English.
Examples of ilk in a Sentence
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Plaud and its ilk are taking advantage of shifting norms in the tech industry where AI note taking bots are increasingly common participants in a conference call.
—Iain Martin, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
At the same time, unlike other artists of the bro-country ilk, Aldean personally refrained from boozing it up throughout the show, waiting to pull out a red Solo cup with a shot of tequila in it until there were just 11 minutes left in a set that ran 97.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 23 Aug. 2025
More than any other director of his ilk, Lee has persistently brought arthouse sensibilities to the mainstream.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ilk
Cite this Entry
“Ilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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