folk music

NOUN

traditional songs and music

Synonyms

STRONGEST

country music

WEAK

balladry ethnic music ethnomusicology folk folk ballads folk songs regional music

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But as negotiations began behind closed doors half a kilometre away, all the world's media could do was wait -- and sip on an expertly brewed coffee while listening to live eastern folk music.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

If hip-hop is the folk music of the post-industrial age, then Slick Rick is it's Woody Guthrie.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

It’s not just about folk music; it’s about the artists — the people, really — who make it.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

Mustafa — the richly baritoned Toronto singer-songwriter whose 2024 LP “Dunya” drew wide praise — has become a significant figure straddling global folk music and activism.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026

Many of our most popular American children’s songs hail from centuries of ballads, hymns, popular and folk music of early New Englanders, Scottish, and English settlers inhabiting Appalachia, and African and European descendants.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin