1
: traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people
The coyote appears in much of Native American folklore.
Paul Bunyan is a figure from folklore.
2
: a branch of knowledge that deals with folklore
a specialist in folklore
3
: an often unsupported notion, story, or saying that is widely circulated
the folklore about the health risks of computers
Synonyms
Examples of folklore in a Sentence
The coyote appears in a great deal of Native American folklore.
the rich folklore of Louisiana
He can't tell the difference between fact and folklore.
Recent Examples on the Web
All at once, Eggers pays homage to Schreck’s beast and contorts him entirely; honoring the folklore written by and about the people who truly believed these creatures existed and were terrified of them.
—
Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
The venue's beloved mechanical bull, country music memorabilia, Bobby Mackey's stage costumes, a 2004 Ford Thunderbird, items related to the venue's paranormal folklore and more were sold in a public auction over the summer.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Known sometimes as the folklore of tragedy or the folklore of disaster, these tales have come from the chaos of no man’s land in World War I, the grim uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic and even the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe between 1933 and 1945.
—James Deutsch, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
The free discussion at the Manistee County Library will overview the history of Christmas traditions and the European folklore character.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for folklore 
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Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2024
The venue's beloved mechanical bull, country music memorabilia, Bobby Mackey's stage costumes, a 2004 Ford Thunderbird, items related to the venue's paranormal folklore and more were sold in a public auction over the summer.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Known sometimes as the folklore of tragedy or the folklore of disaster, these tales have come from the chaos of no man’s land in World War I, the grim uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic and even the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe between 1933 and 1945.
—James Deutsch, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
The free discussion at the Manistee County Library will overview the history of Christmas traditions and the European folklore character.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for folklore
Articles Related to folklore
Dictionary Entries Near folklore
Cite this Entry
“Folklore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folklore. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
folklore
noun
folk·lore
ˈfōk-ˌlō(ə)r 
-ˌlȯ(ə)r
: customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings of a people handed down from generation to generation
folkloric
adjective
-ˌlȯr-ik
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