folk song
Americannoun
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a song originating among the people of a country or area, passed by oral tradition from one singer or generation to the next, often existing in several versions, and marked generally by simple, modal melody and stanzaic, narrative verse.
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a song of similar character written by a known composer.
noun
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a song of which the music and text have been handed down by oral tradition among the common people
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a modern song which employs or reflects the folk idiom
Etymology
Origin of folk song
First recorded in 1865–70
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.
“Arirang” is the title of an ancient Korean folk song that is believed to be at least 600 years old and is still sung to this day.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
It might be time to write a folk song about the demise of City Section basketball using the music of Peter, Paul and Mary and the new title, “Where Have All the Players Gone?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2026
“I’ve never been, nor will I ever become a magnate,” Maduro said in a speech at a Christmas dinner in a Caracas slum just before breaking into a folk song.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025
Her father, Michael, said they chose her name as a nod to Australia, where the beloved folk song "Waltzing Matilda" is sung as an unofficial national anthem.
From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025
Hans Scholl found himself in trouble when his leaders heard him playing a favorite Russian folk song on his guitar.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
