folklore

noun

ˈfōk-ˌlȯr How to pronounce folklore (audio)
Definition of folklorenext
as in mythology
the body of customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings associated with a people, thing, or place the Scottish Highlands are rich in folklore

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of folklore Kevin Keegan’s first day in Liverpool has gone down in Red folklore. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Friedman, an award-winning social psychologist whose research has been featured by in the New York Times, Bloomberg, and the Harvard Business Review, has built a career testing management folklore against behavioral science. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 In the case of John, though, had one of you been dabbling in Swiss folklore at the time? — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 Growing intellectual interest in African American folklore generated fresh research into Hoodoo during the early 20th century, much of it collected by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s and ’40s. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for folklore
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folklore
  1. mythology
  2. tradition
  3. lore
Noun
  • Wolf succumbs to Shura, a demonic force in the game’s mythology that possesses those who give in to bloodlust.
    — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, occupied a space in our global cultural imagination — a figure of American mythology, someone best described as larger-than-life and then a little bit more.
    — Maria Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of mythology
Noun
  • Plessi was best known for engaging history and tradition with the digital, creating installations that took on an architecture of their own.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Parton had a large hand in paving the way for any subsequent entertainer who tried to navigate the push and pull between pop commerciality and musical tradition, inside and outside of country, from Garth Brooks to Shania Twain to Miley Cyrus.
    — Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of tradition
Noun
  • One group dawdling at the end of the line explained that much of their personal lore was bound up with trash cinema, and with Breen in particular.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Contrary to popular belief, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie was not filmed there, although the hotel and the story have become inseparable parts of Estes Park lore.
    — Tim Jackson, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of lore

Browse Nearby Words

folklifes
folklore
folklores
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Cite this Entry

“Folklore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folklore. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on folklore

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about folklore

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