adj · name · noun · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/fəʊk/
General-American:/foʊk/
General-American, nonstandard:/foʊlk/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -əʊk
rhymes with -əʊlk
CMU ARPABET:F OW1 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land, their culture, tradition, or history.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Of or pertaining to common people as opposed to ruling classes or elites.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Of or related to local building materials and styles.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: architecture
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically or ideologically correct or rigorous.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
folk psychology; folk linguistics
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
name
Meaning 5
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A people; a tribe or nation; the inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
People, persons.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: collective, countable, plural, uncountable
Examples
There were a lot of folk in the streets.
Young folk, old folk, everybody come / To our little Sunday School, and have a lot of fun.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
One’s relatives, especially one’s parents.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: collective, countable, plural, uncountable, usually
Examples
I need to call my folks back home.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
Ellipsis of folk music.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tribe
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: social group
Narrower terms: phyle
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *fulkazder. Proto-Germanic *fulką Proto-West Germanic *folk Old English folc Middle English folk English folk From Middle English folk, from Old English folc, from Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h1-gós, from *pleh1- (“to fill”). Cognate with German Volk, Dutch volk, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish folk, Icelandic fólk. Doublet of volk.
* As a German surname, variant of Volk (“people, tribe”). * As an English surname, variant of Foulk, related to the noun folk, thus cognate with the above.
Across languages
Translations
62 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
شَعْبِيّ
(šaʕbiyy)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Armenian:
ժողովրդական
(žoġovrdakan)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Belarusian:
наро́дны
(naródny)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Bulgarian:
наро́ден
(naróden)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Chinese Mandarin:
民
(mín)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Czech:
lidový
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
French:
populaire
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
German:
Volks-
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Hungarian:
nép-
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Hungarian:
népi
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Hungarian:
népies
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Macedonian:
народен
(naroden)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Polish:
ludowy
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Russian:
наро́дный
(naródnyj)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Serbo-Croatian:
на́роднӣ
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Serbo-Croatian:
národnī
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Slovak:
ľudový
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Slovene:
ljȗdski
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Ukrainian:
наро́дний
(naródnyj)
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Vietnamese:
dân
— of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular
Hungarian:
népi
— believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous
Polish:
ludowy
— believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous
Polish:
zwyczajowy
— believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous
Polish:
popularny
— believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous
Russian:
наро́дный
(naródnyj)
— believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous
Armenian:
ժողովուրդ
(žoġovurd)
— inhabitants of a region
Belarusian:
наро́д
(naród)
— inhabitants of a region
Dutch:
volk
— inhabitants of a region
French:
peuple
— inhabitants of a region
West-Frisian:
folk
— inhabitants of a region
Galician:
pobo
— inhabitants of a region
Galician:
xente
— inhabitants of a region
Galician:
grei
— inhabitants of a region
Gaulish:
touta
— inhabitants of a region
Georgian:
ერი
(eri)
— inhabitants of a region
German:
Volk
— inhabitants of a region
Hungarian:
nép
— inhabitants of a region
Italian:
gente
— inhabitants of a region
Italian:
autoctono
— inhabitants of a region
Italian:
popolo
— inhabitants of a region
Italian:
abitante
— inhabitants of a region
Latin:
populus
— inhabitants of a region
Latin:
habitans
— inhabitants of a region
Latin:
vivens
— inhabitants of a region
Middle English:
folk
— inhabitants of a region
Norwegian:
folk
— inhabitants of a region
Norwegian:
befolkning
— inhabitants of a region
Old English:
folc
— inhabitants of a region
Old Saxon:
folk
— inhabitants of a region
Plautdietsch:
Volkj (nds)
— inhabitants of a region
Polish:
lud
— inhabitants of a region
Portuguese:
povo
— inhabitants of a region
Russian:
наро́д
(naród)
— inhabitants of a region
Scots:
fowk
— inhabitants of a region
Spanish:
pueblo
— inhabitants of a region
Spanish:
gente
— inhabitants of a region
Swedish:
folk
— inhabitants of a region
Turkish:
halk
— inhabitants of a region
Turkish:
ulus
— inhabitants of a region
Turkish:
millet
— inhabitants of a region
Ukrainian:
наро́д
(naród)
— inhabitants of a region
