I. ˈfolk ˌmusic BrE AmE ( also folk ) noun [uncountable]
1 . traditional music that has been played by ordinary people in a particular area for a long time
2 . a style of popular music in which people sing and play ↑ guitar s , without any electronic equipment
II. folk 1 S2 W3 /fəʊk $ foʊk/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: folc ]
1 . [plural] ( also folks ) especially American English people:
I’m sure there are some folk who would rather they weren’t here.
Thanks to the folks at NBC.
Wait till the folks back home hear about this!
young/old folk British English old-fashioned :
Young folk these days don’t know the meaning of work.
2 . folks [plural]
a) especially American English your parents and family:
Is it OK if I call my folks?
b) used when talking to a group of people in a friendly way:
That’s all for now, folks.
3 . country/farming etc folk [plural] ( also country etc folks American English ) literary people who live in a particular area or do a particular kind of work:
simple country folk
4 . [uncountable] ↑ folk music :
a folk singer
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ people people in general:
Most people know that smoking causes lung cancer.
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People are the same everywhere.
▪ folk informal people:
Louisa's parents were country folk and believed very much in herbal remedies.
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They looked like two ordinary folk.
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There are still folk around here who remember the old days.
▪ the public ordinary people, not people who belong to the government or are members of a particular company or organization:
This information should be made available to the public.
▪ population all the people who live in a particular area:
The majority of the population were farmers.
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The city has a population of 11 million.
▪ the human race all the people in the world, considered as a group:
the origins of the human race
▪ mankind ( also humankind ) people in general – used especially when talking about their history or development, or how something affects their existence. Some people think that the word mankind seems to make women seem unimportant, and prefer to use humankind instead:
Travelling into space was a great advance for mankind.
▪ populace formal the people who live in a country – a very formal use:
It is a country where 80% of the populace live in poverty.
III. folk 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
1 . folk art, stories, customs etc are traditional and typical of the ordinary people who live in a particular area:
folk tales
an Irish folk song
2 . folk science/psychology/wisdom etc science etc that is based on the ideas or beliefs that ordinary people have, and does not involve a high level of technical knowledge
3 . folk medicine/remedy a traditional type of medical treatment that uses plants or simple treatments rather than scientific methods