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

Lately, she had been telling friends that understanding the current border crisis reminded her of an old folk tale about a group of blind men encountering an elephant.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2024

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

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

Yet at the bottom of it all, shining up through darkling depths, was that fairy-gold of joy, like the gold crown on the head of the frog in the folk tale.

From Shadows of Flames A Novel by Rives, Amélie