Word forms: plural folkslanguage note: folk can also be used as the plural form for meaning [sense 1].
1. plural noun
You can refer to people as folk or folks.
Country folk can tell you that there are certain places which animals avoid.
These are the folks from the local TV station.
...old folks.
2. plural noun [usually poss NOUN]
You can refer to your close family, especially your mother and father, as your folks.
[informal]
I've been avoiding my folks lately.
Synonyms: family, race, parents, relations More Synonyms of folk
3. plural noun
You can use folks as a term of address when you are talking to several people.
[informal]
'It's a question of money, folks,' I announced.
This is it, folks: the best record guide in the business.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Folk art and customs are traditional or typical of a particular community or nation.
...South American folk art.
...traditional Chinese folk medicine.
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Folk music is music which is traditional or typical of a particular community or nation.
...Irish folk music.
Folk is also a noun.
...a variety of music including classical, jazz, and folk.
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Folk can be used to describe something that relates to the beliefs and opinions of ordinary people.
Jack was a folk hero in the Greenwich Village bars.
Folk psychology comes closer to the obvious truth than the most sophisticated theories.
More Synonyms of folk
folk in British English
(fəʊk)
nounWord forms: pluralfolk or folks
1. (functioning as plural; often plural in form)
people in general, esp those of a particular group or class
country folk
2. (functioning as plural; usually plural in form) informal
members of a family
3. (functioning as singular) informal short for folk music
4.
a people or tribe
5. (modifier)
relating to, originating from, or traditional to the ordinary people of a country
a folk song
Derived forms
folkish (ˈfolkish)
adjective
folkishness (ˈfolkishness)
noun
Word origin
Old English folc; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old High German folk
folk in American English
(foʊk)
noun
1.
a people or nation; ethnic group
a peaceful folk
2. Word forms: pluralfolks or folk [with sing. v.]
people in general; persons
folks differ in their tastes; city folk sometimes vacation in the country
adjective
3.
of, originating among, or having to do with the common people, who transmit the general culture of the group through succeeding generations
folk art
Idioms:
just (plain) folks
one's folks
Word origin
ME < OE folc, akin to Ger volk < Gmc *fulca-, army, group of warriors < ?
COBUILD Collocations
folk
city folk
decent folk
rich folk
Examples of 'folk' in a sentence
folk
It is no wonder the local folk have promoted these graceful giants to divinity.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We are smiling alongside this surreal folk hero as he strides out of the trees in his suit of leaves.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He had the folk music with the harmonica, they thought that was proper music.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Try telling that to folk who bought into the bullion fad five years ago and have lost a third of their money since then.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
People think bingo is for old folk but there's lots of young people playing and they have a great time.
The Sun (2016)
After a long week at a top hotel, the branding folk went home with a big hangover and a colossal cheque.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In Chinese folk art, the knot symbolises luck and prosperity.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We don't begrudge the many genuinely hard-up old folk.
The Sun (2017)
The circus arts, like any form of folk art, are sets of skills passed down through generations.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
So much more than just a folk hero.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Has anything good come of business folk lured into politics?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But family folk groups do not normally set the charts alight.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It’s likely her people were nice folks.
LM Montgomery Anne of Green Gables (1872)
Nine of the songs could be timeless folk or country standards.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The lives of real working class folk have been airbrushed from our screens.
The Sun (2011)
Portuguese folk tales are the darkest in the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is also an annual folk festival.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You might say that the younger generation simply has a stronger constitution than the old folk.
The Sun (2016)
The stronger musical line of folk music fits with the classical thrust of the service.
Christianity Today (2000)
Conservatives were less certain of the wisdom of the common folk.
Divine, Robert A. (editor) & Breen, T. H & Frederickson, George M & Williams, R. Hal America Past and Present (1995)
Why was a rock band at a folk festival?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Folk art is leading artists off the edge of the establishment map.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The worst ones feature embarrassed singers having a go at folk dancing or local crafts.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Folk wisdom tells of the abundance that follows a freeze.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Because of my family background in folk music it was a bit uncomfortable for me personally.
The Sun (2011)
City dwellers would argue that village shows remain popular because country folk lead such dreary lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Indie folk heroes who knock on the door of your subconscious with this quirky and eccentric acoustic beauty.
The Sun (2006)
We should have a worldwide army and wage war on the people sending these folk to their deaths.
The Sun (2015)
Some of the top business folk who are members were furious when they were named despite having coughed up.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Country and folk from the Texan favourite.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But I go from choral to classical and from folk to jazz.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There's the cluster of electronic and urban music nominations, the obligatory nods to folk and the jazz record that has no chance of winning.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Quotations
There's nowt so queer as folk
In other languages
folk
British English: folk NOUN
You can refer to people as folk or folks.
Country folk can tell you that there are certain places which animals avoid.
American English: folk
Brazilian Portuguese: gente
Chinese: 人
European Spanish: gente
French: gens
German: Leute
Italian: gente
Japanese: 人々
Korean: 사람들
European Portuguese: gente
Latin American Spanish: gente
British English: folk ADJECTIVE
Folk art and customs are traditional or typical of a particular community or nation.
...southwestern folk art.
American English: folk
Brazilian Portuguese: popular
Chinese: 民俗的
European Spanish: popular
French: folklorique
German: Volks-
Italian: popolare
Japanese: 民俗の
Korean: 민속의
European Portuguese: popular
Latin American Spanish: popular
All related terms of 'folk'
city folk
You can refer to people as folk or folks .
folk art
the visual arts, music, drama , dance, or literature originating from, or traditional to, the ordinary people of a country
folk hero
a hero to the ordinary people of a country
folk-rock
a style of rock music influenced by folk , including traditional material arranged for electric instruments
folk song
A folk song is a traditional song that is typical of a particular community or nation .
folk tale
a story, usually of anonymous authorship and containing legendary elements, made and handed down orally among the common people
rich folk
You can refer to people as folk or folks .
Beaker folk
a prehistoric people thought to have originated in the Iberian peninsula and spread to central Europe and Britain during the second millennium bc
decent folk
You can refer to people as folk or folks .
folk dance
any of various traditional rustic dances often originating from festivals or rituals
folk memory
the memory of past events as preserved in a community
folk music
music that is passed on from generation to generation by oral tradition
folk weave
a type of fabric with a loose weave
folk wisdom
wisdom or beliefs associated with or traditional to the ordinary people of a country
country folk
people who live in the country
folk medicine
the traditional art of medicine as practised among rustic communities and primitive peoples, consisting typically of the use of herbal remedies , fruits and vegetables thought to have healing power, etc
folk religion
Religion is belief in a god or gods and the activities that are connected with this belief, such as praying or worshipping in a building such as a church or temple .
folk etymology
the gradual change in the form of a word through the influence of a more familiar word or phrase with which it becomes associated, as for example sparrow-grass for asparagus
epic
An epic is a long book, poem, or film, whose story extends over a long period of time or tells of great events.
folktale
a tale or legend originating among a people and typically becoming part of an oral tradition
little people
small supernatural beings, such as elves , pixies, or leprechauns
hobson-jobson
the gradual change in the form of a word through the influence of a more familiar word or phrase with which it becomes associated, as for example sparrow-grass for asparagus
travelling people
Gypsies or other itinerant people: a term used esp by such people of themselves
Chinese translation of 'folk'
folk
(fəuk)
n pl
(= people) (also folks) 人们(們) (rénmen)
cpd
[art, tales, medicine]民间(間) (mínjiān)
my folks (inf) 我的家人 (wǒ de jiārén)
1 (noun)
Definition
people in general, esp. those of a particular group or class
the innate reserve of country folk
Synonyms
people
persons
humans
individuals
men and women
human beings
humanity
They face charges of committing crimes against humanity.
inhabitants
humankind
mankind
mortals
2 (noun)
Definition
members of one's family
(informal
I've been avoiding my folks lately.
Synonyms
family
His family are completely behind him, whatever he decides.
race
We welcome students of all races, faiths and nationalities.
parents
relations
relatives
tribe
three hundred members of the Xhosa tribe
clan
A clash had taken place between rival clans.
ethnic group
kin
I'm going to live with my husband's kin.
kindred
She has reconnected with her kindred.
ainga (New Zealand)
rellies (Australian, slang)
proverb
There's nowt so queer as folk
Additional synonyms
in the sense of clan
Definition
an extended family related by ancestry or marriage
A clash had taken place between rival clans.
Synonyms
family,
house,
group,
order,
race,
society,
band,
tribe,
sept,
gens,
fraternity (US, Canadian),
brotherhood,
sodality,
ainga (New Zealand),
ngai or ngati (New Zealand)
in the sense of humanity
Definition
the human race
They face charges of committing crimes against humanity.
Synonyms
the human race,
humankind,
mankind,
man,
men,
men and women,
people,
mortals,
Homo sapiens
in the sense of kin
Definition
a person's relatives collectively
I'm going to live with my husband's kin.
Synonyms
family,
people,
relations,
relatives,
connections,
kindred,
kinsmen,
kith,
kinsfolk,
ainga (New Zealand),
rellies (Australian, slang)
Synonyms of 'folk'
folk
Explore 'folk' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of kindred
Definition
a person's relatives collectively
She has reconnected with her kindred.
Synonyms
family,
relations,
relatives,
connections,
flesh,
kin,
lineage,
kinsmen,
kinsfolk,
ainga (New Zealand),
rellies (Australian, slang)
in the sense of race
Definition
a group of people of common ancestry with distinguishing physical features, such as skin colour or build
We welcome students of all races, faiths and nationalities.
Synonyms
people,
ethnic group,
nation,
blood,
house,
family,
line,
issue,
stock,
type,
seed (biblical),
breed,
folk,
tribe,
offspring,
clan,
kin,
lineage,
progeny,
kindred
in the sense of tribe
Definition
a group of families or clans believed to have a common ancestor