1. The same type or same kind: This club attracts classical musicians and others of that ilk.
2. A kind or sort of person, family, group, or thing, often with negative or unsavory reputations: Because of their past behavior, Acey Smith and his ilk are no longer welcome in this family vacation resort.
3. Etymology: When a person uses ilk, as in the phrase "people of his ilk", then he or she is using a word with an ancient application even though the sense of ilk, "kind or sort", is actually quite recent, having been first recorded at the end of the 18th century.

This meaning grew out of an older use of ilk in the phrase "of that ilk", meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name".

This phrase was used primarily in names of landed families, Smith of that ilk meaning "Smith of Smith".