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
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
For example, English folklore says that Hot Cross Buns baked on Good Friday will never spoil throughout the following year, amongst other luck-giving stories.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
The small town is also a hub for Albanian folklore, with traditional music performances and crafts on display.
—Food Drink Life, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
By the time Saturday Night Live had been around for a quarter of a century, in 2000, a folklore developed among S.N.L. aspirants around the way Lorne Michaels hires people.
—Susan Morrison, airmail.news, 22 Feb. 2025
But experts debunked the myth as folklore, according to Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
—Jessica Botelho, Baltimore Sun, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folklore
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Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025
The small town is also a hub for Albanian folklore, with traditional music performances and crafts on display.
—Food Drink Life, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025
By the time Saturday Night Live had been around for a quarter of a century, in 2000, a folklore developed among S.N.L. aspirants around the way Lorne Michaels hires people.
—Susan Morrison, airmail.news, 22 Feb. 2025
But experts debunked the myth as folklore, according to Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
—Jessica Botelho, Baltimore Sun, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for folklore
Articles Related to folklore
Cite this Entry
“Folklore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folklore. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
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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