folks

See also: Folks

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /foʊks/, (nonstandard) /foʊlks/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fəʊks/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊks

Etymology 1

Noun

folks pl (plural only)

1. The members of one's immediate family, especially one's parents

   My folks visit us at Christmas.

2. (US) People in general; everybody or anybody.
   • 2006 Oct. 1, Dennis Lehane, "Refugees", The Wire, 00:32:06:

     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.

   Lots of folks like to travel during the holidays.

3. (US, slang, rare, southern Louisiana) The police.

Derived terms

• old folks

 

Translations

immediate family, parents in particular

• Finnish: porukat (fi)
• Japanese: 両親 (ja), 親戚 (ja), 人々 (ja)

people — see people

police — see police

Noun

folks

1. plural of folk

Derived terms

• but seriously folks
• different strokes for different folks
• just folks
• just-folks
• just plain folks
• regular folks
• that's all, folks

 

Related terms

• folk

Etymology 2

Coined by California historian Kevin Starr.

Noun

folks pl (plural only)

1. (California) Late 19th and early 20th century migrants to California from Iowa and other parts of the Midwestern United States.
   • 2007, Kevin Starr, California: A History‎^[1], Modern Library, →ISBN, page 182:

     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.

Danish

Noun

folks n

1. indefinite genitive singular of folk
2. indefinite genitive plural of folk

Noun

folks c

1. indefinite genitive singular of folk

Old Norse

Noun

folks

1. genitive singular of folk

Scots

Noun

folks

1. plural of folk

Swedish

Noun

folks

1. indefinite genitive plural of folk
2. indefinite genitive singular of folk