Word.ws English Dictionary

but seriously folks

but seriously folks interjection: used to redirect attention to immediately preceding a failed attempt at humor.

Interjection

  1. (idiomatic, speech act) Used to redirect attention to immediately preceding a failed attempt at humor.
    • A nightclub comic who gets off a bad joke, nobody laughs, but he goes right on with: "But, seriously, folks" […].1969, Julius J. Epstein, But, Seriously ...: A Play in Two Acts, page 18
    • But seriously, folks, on behalf of the Copacabana — and believe me, I'd love to be half of the Copacabana2004, Gerald Nachman, Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s, page 23

Questions about but seriously folks

What does but seriously folks mean?
But seriously folks means used to redirect attention to immediately preceding a failed attempt at humor.
What part of speech is but seriously folks?
But seriously folks is an interjection.

Words near but seriously folks in the dictionary

  1. but for the grace of God
  2. but good
  3. but hey
  4. but if
  5. but me no buts
  6. but seriously folks
  7. but that
  8. but then
  9. but who's counting
  10. but's
  11. but-

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: but seriously folks (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-but seriously folks.ogg.

Cite this entry: “but seriously folks.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/but_seriously_folks. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.