folk tale

or folk·tale

[ fohk-teyl ]

/ ˈfoʊk ˌteɪl /

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See synonyms for: folk tale / folk tales on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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Also called folk sto·ry [fohk-stawr ee] /ˈfoʊk ˌstɔr i/ .

Origin of folk tale

First recorded in 1890–95

Words nearby folk tale

folk singing, folk society, folk song, folksonomy, folksy, folk tale, folktronica, folkways, folk weave, folky, foll.

How to use folk tale in a sentence

By the time Cooper first hears Britton’s story as a Harvard undergrad in the early 2010s, she writes, it has become almost a folk tale about how powerful institutions protect powerful men who do horrible things.
One Good Thing: A true crime book about the problems with true crime books|Emily VanDerWerff|July 14, 2021|Vox
A guide, using myths and folk tales, to help women reconnect with their instinctual nature.
Washington Post paperback bestsellers||January 26, 2021|Washington Post
As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Some will be avoiding New Year festivities entirely—and very sensible folk they are too.
The Refuseniks Hiding From ‘Happy New Year’|Lizzie Crocker|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The twang we hear as emblematic of white country music is actually the direct descendant of black folk music banjo.
The Cultural Crimes of Iggy Azalea|Amy Zimmerman|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Phonetic, made-up lyrics are another venerable tradition of folk music, and “pa-rum-pa-pa-pum” is iconic of the genre.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The folk memory of medieval community life had been wiped out by the industrial revolution.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are some folk in this country, you know, who manifest a very retiring disposition at times.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
It was no wonder that he felt quite at home in the duck-pond, which was made for web-footed folk.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
But he was ignorant of that part of the horrid tale; and the Duke, in a milder voice, bade him rise.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Never had Punch secured the telling of that tale with so little opposition.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
The tailor of the fairy tale with his "seven at a blow" is not in it with the gunnery Lieutenant of a battleship.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for folk tale

folk tale

folk story

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

folk tale

or folk·tale

Origin of folk tale

Words nearby folk tale

Words related to folk tale

How to use folk tale in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for folk tale

folk story