DictionaryAI

folk

SayFOHK/foʊk/UK/fəʊk/

Pluralfolks

7 meanings of folk

Practice

  1. 1
    people in generalnouncollectivecountable or uncountable
    People in general, meaning all the men, women, and children in a place or group.

    Most folk around here are friendly to newcomers.

    City folk often find country life slower than they expected.

    UsageSay country folk or old folk, with are: folk are kind.

    Similarpeople

    Note
  2. 2
    traditionaladjective
    Part of the old, traditional way of life of ordinary people in a place, like folk tales or folk dances.

    We studied old folk customs from the mountain villages.

    Many folk tales were passed down for hundreds of years.

    UsageSay folk tales or folk songs.

    Similartraditional, vernacular

  3. 3
    musicnouncountable or uncountableabbreviationellipsis
    Short for folk music: traditional music passed down in a community, or new songs in that style.

    She plays folk at small cafes on weekends.

    I grew up listening to folk and country.

    UsageSay play folk or listen to folk.

    Note
  4. 4
    familynouncollectivecountable or uncountable
    Your family, especially your mother and father.

    I'm flying home to see my folks for Thanksgiving.

    We drove up to see my folks for the holidays.

    Similarparents, family, relatives, kin

  5. 5
    adjective
    Believed or passed on by ordinary people, and not always proven by experts.

    Her grandmother swore by a folk remedy for colds.

    Many folk beliefs about the weather turn out to be wrong.

    UsageSay a folk remedy: an old home cure.

    Similarpopular, traditional, unscientific

    Oppositescientific, academic

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    adjective
    Relating to ordinary people instead of rulers or the rich.

    The folk hero stood up to the cruel landlords.

    To the poor villagers, the clever thief was a folk hero.

    Usagea folk hero is someone ordinary people admire.

    Similarpopular, grassroots, common

    Oppositeelite, aristocratic

  2. 7
    a tribenounarchaiccountable
    A group of people who share one land, like a tribe or nation.
    The organization of each folk, as such, sprang mainly from war.
    1878, John Richard Green, History of the English PeopleHere, folk means a people, like a tribe or nation.
    We thus arrive at a most unexpected imbroglio. The French have become a Germanic folk and the Germanic folk have become Gaulish!
    1907, Race Prejudice, Jean FinotHere, folk means a people or nation sharing one land.
    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of folk apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English folc, from an older Germanic word. It is related to German Volk and Dutch volk.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts