Meanings
folks1
- pluralplural onlyThe members of one's immediate family, especially one's parents
My folks visit us at Christmas.
- USalsojargonpluralplural onlyprogressivePeople in general; everybody or anybody.
Lots of folks like to travel during the holidays.
2 more examples
Wilson: He's right. They endorse Royce, fine, 'the hell else they gonna do? But what they say and don't say from the pulpit the Sunday before the primary we still got a dog in that fight. Carcetti: I do this right, they respect it. Wilson: An' if they don't, at least they get to see a beggin'-ass white man on his knees. Always a feel-good moment for the folks.
2006 October 1, Dennis Lehane, “Refugees”, in The Wire, 00:32:06‘Hi, folks,’ Henry said, using inclusive terminology because one of them was female.
2019, Nick Oldham, chapter 14, in Wildfire (A Henry Christie Thriller; 26), London: Severn House Publishers, published 2020, →ISBN - LouisianaSouthernUSpluralplural onlyrareslangThe police.
- pluralplural of folk
folks2
- Californiapluralplural onlyLate 19th and early 20th century migrants to California from Iowa and other parts of the Midwestern United States.
McPherson's healing ministry, in fact. was at the core of her success, since so many of the Folks had come to Southern California in late middle or old age in the hope of regaining lost health.
2007, Kevin Starr, California: A History, Modern Library, →ISBN, page 182
Folks3
- A surname.
- pluralplural of Folk
- CaliforniaSouthernarchaicTransplants to Southern California from the Midwestern United States, especially Iowa.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Coined by California historian Kevin Starr.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish porukat
- porukatimmediate family, parents in particular
Japanese 両親, 親戚
- 両親immediate family, parents in particular
- 親戚immediate family, parents in particular
- 人々immediate family, parents in particular
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with folks
All rhymes →Cite this entry
folks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folks
“folks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folks. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “folks,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/folks.
Source: folks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.