folk tale

American  

[fohk teyl] / ˈfoʊk ˌteɪl /

Or folktale

noun

1. a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people.

2. any belief or story passed on traditionally, especially one considered to be false or based on superstition.

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folk tale British  

noun

1. a tale or legend originating among a people and typically becoming part of an oral tradition

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Etymology

Origin of folk tale

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

But no: this has become a subgenre of its own, a kind of folk tale the news loves to tell.

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2025

The lavish folk tale draws from the song "When You Wish Upon a Star" from the 1940 cartoon film "Pinocchio," about a puppet wishing to become a real boy.

From Reuters • Nov. 20, 2023

It seemed fitting that planning a trip around a centuries-old folk tale was more an act of creative interpretation than a strict adherence to a single text.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2023

Del Toro won Oscars as a director and producer of “The Shape of Water,” and now he’ll add a third for his agreeably weird, dark take on Carlo Collodi’s 19th century folk tale.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2023

Emily's guardian, Montoni, in The Mysteries of Udolpho, like the unscrupulous uncle in Godwin's Cloudesley, may well have been descended from the wicked uncle of the folk tale.

From The Tale of Terror A Study of the Gothic Romance by Birkhead, Edith