folk tale
Americannoun
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a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people.
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any belief or story passed on traditionally, especially one considered to be false or based on superstition.
noun
Etymology
Origin of folk tale
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
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
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
For kids, there’s the animated fantasy “The Monkey King,” based on the Chinese folk tale and featuring the voices of Jimmy O. Yang, Stephanie Hsu and BD Wong.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2023
Executive Director Julie Perlin Lee told me they always try to sync up the space’s monthly story time with a topical theme, such as a winter Ukrainian folk tale in December.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2023
The student will find footing on surer ground by following the process which exalts the dragon of the folk tale into the symbol of evil and primordial chaos.
From Myths of Babylonia and Assyria by Mackenzie, Donald Alexander
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.
