folk
/fəʊk
/noun
1 (also folks) informal People in general: her parents were country folk an old folks' home...
- There was a general feeling amongst folk who hadn't been faced with this situation before; they were stunned.
- I might be wrong but folk of my generation are probably Apple's prime audience.
- I suppose it also had to do with the fact that my parents were messy folk, something of which I was deeply ashamed.
Synonyms
people, humans, persons, individuals, (living) souls, mortals;
citizenry, inhabitants, residents, populace, population, public, {men, women, and children}
informal peeps
rare denizens
1.1 (folks) Used as a friendly form of address to a group of people: meanwhile folks, why not relax and enjoy the atmosphere?...
- The Soul of Man Under Socialism, folks, looks a lot better than it does under ten feet of sewage-filled water.
- I think we've located another point in our musical journey here, folks.
- A fair amount of the traditional old machete gardening was in order - it's more fun than it looks, folks!
1.2 (one's folks) chiefly North American The members of one’s family, especially one’s parents: his folks still live here...
- Help your friends move, invite your folks to live with you, go out of your way to help someone with their homework, and so on.
- Now I understand that my folks must have saved me from death hundreds of times without even thinking twice about it.
- My folks never took my instruments away or forbade me to play a gig.
Synonyms
relatives, relations, blood relations, family, family members, kinsfolk, kinsmen, kinswomen, kin, kindred, next of kin, flesh and blood
informal nearest and dearest
dated people
2 [mass noun] Folk music: a mixture of folk and reggae [as modifier]: a folk singer...
- Their music is a mixture of Eastern European folk, gypsy, techno and American jazz.
- She plays steel, slide and acoustic guitar, mandolin and body percussion - her music crossing boundaries through folk, country and reggae.
- Off The Rails will also be playing rock, reggae, jazz, folk, samba, blues and world music-influenced songs.
adjective [attributive]
1Relating to the traditional art or culture of a community or nation: a folk museum...
- For Croatians, food, tradition, and folk culture are interconnected, especially as a part of holiday celebrations.
- Central to Welsh culture is the centuries-old folk tradition of poetry and music which has helped keep the Welsh language alive.
- It was an assertion of a Jacksonian and old republican culture representing a folk tradition of honour.
1.1Relating to or originating from the beliefs and opinions of ordinary people: a folk hero folk wisdom...
- Popular songs are sung by folk heroes with humble origins.
- Apparently there's some strange, arcane folk belief that wearing such headgear actually makes everything you say and do amusing.
- It has a lot of folk beliefs and fairly primitive religion mixed in.
Origin
Old English folc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch volk and German Volk.