folk music

American  

noun

1. music, usually of simple character and anonymous authorship, handed down among the common people by oral tradition.

2. music by known composers that has become part of the folk tradition of a country or region.

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folk music British  

noun

1. music that is passed on from generation to generation by oral tradition Compare art music

2. any music composed in the idiom of this oral tradition

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folk music Cultural  

1. A kind of music originating from the ordinary people of a region or nation and continued by oral tradition. The ballad (see also ballad) is a typical form of folk music. Music is also called “folk” when it is made by artists and composers who are inspired by, or imitate, true folk music. Composers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie are folk musicians of the second kind.

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Etymology

Origin of folk music

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Early in “A Mighty Wind,” a folk music historian calls Mitch and Mickey’s first kiss “a superb moment in folk music, and maybe a great moment in the history of humans.”

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

British folk music comedy-drama, The Ballad of Wallis Island, has also done well, with representation in five categories including best film and outstanding British film.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

“Because really that, to me, is what folk music is. It’s passed on, it’s transformed — it turns into something else and then passed on again.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

The race is now the highlight of the autumn, attracting up to 5,000 spectators to Flumserberg, spending the rest of the day listening to schlager folk music and sampling the Alpine produce.

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

I would protest the use of folk music and the hand-holding.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Related Words

• country music