folk
Americannoun
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folks
plural
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(used with a plural verb) Usually folks. people in general.
Folks say there wasn't much rain last summer.
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(used with a plural verb) Often folks. people of a specified class or group.
country folk; poor folks.
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(used with a plural verb) people as the carriers of culture, especially as representing the composite of social mores, customs, forms of behavior, etc., in a society.
The folk are the bearers of oral tradition.
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Informal. folks,
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members of one's family; one's relatives.
All his folks come from France.
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one's parents.
Will your folks let you go?
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Archaic. a people or tribe.
adjective
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of or originating among the common people.
folk beliefs; a folk hero.
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having unknown origins and reflecting the traditional forms of a society.
folk culture; folk art.
idioms
noun
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(functioning as plural; often plural in form) people in general, esp those of a particular group or class
country folk
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informal (functioning as plural; usually plural in form) members of a family
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informal (functioning as singular) short for folk music
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a people or tribe
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(modifier) relating to, originating from, or traditional to the common people of a country
a folk song
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of folk
before 900; Middle English; Old English folc; cognate with Old Saxon, Old Norse folk, Old High German folk ( German Volk )
Explanation
Folk are regular people. Country folk can be suspicious of fancy city people, while city folk tend to act a little snobby toward country dwellers. The plural form of this word, folks, is often used for groups of ordinary people. You could say that folks in New York seem more accepting of your eccentricities than the folks back home in your small town. You can also refer to your parents as your folks, or use it as an informal, friendly form of address: "Hi, folks! I'll be your waiter today." The Old English root is folc, "common people, nation, or troop."
Vocabulary lists containing folk
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Irish singer told the outlet that he had approached Parton to ask her to collaborate on a different side project inspired by Irish folk music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Acts can span from bluegrass to blues, folk to funk, salsa to soul, and everything in between.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Inspired the name of West Country folk band The Wurzels.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
On her new record, "The Syrian Album", Assala covers folk songs from all 14 of Syria's provinces as an homage to her country's cultural diversity.
From Barron's
Whenever I told one of the stories we’d written, all the charmed folk would gather around to listen as I read, from my perch on Throne Rock.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Another option, something Briffault admits is petty but has been done before, is to slash the salaries of people at the agency responsible for the unlawful behavior, or even folks who worked on it.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
What he may not have anticipated was the extent of the cover Black players and notable Black folks gave the NFL.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
A loss would have folks taking serious stock of where the Trojans stand in their fifth season under coach Lincoln Riley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Still, when it comes to Sullivan, the game’s old-timers—the folks who are usually cynical about this stuff, who urge us all to chill out and relax—can’t contain their enthusiasm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“I’m only going to help folks from now on. I promise.”
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
