OK

1

or o·kay

[ oh-key, oh-key, oh-key ]

adjective
  1. all right; proceeding normally; satisfactory or under control: Things are OK at the moment.

  2. correct, permissible, or acceptable; meeting standards: Is this suit OK to wear to a formal party?

  1. doing well or in good health; managing adequately: She's been OK since the operation.

  2. adequate but unexceptional or unremarkable; tolerable: The job they did was OK, nothing more.

  3. estimable, dependable, or trustworthy; likable: an OK person.

adverb
  1. all right; well enough; successfully; fine: She'll manage OK on her own.He sings OK, but he can't tap dance.

  2. (used as an affirmative response) yes; surely.

  1. (used as an interrogative or interrogative tag) all right?; do you agree?

interjection
  1. (used to express agreement, understanding, acceptance, or the like): OK, I'll get it for you.

  2. (used as an introductory or transitional expression): OK, now where were we?

noun,plural OK's.
  1. an approval, agreement, or endorsement: They gave their OK to her leave of absence.

verb (used with object),OK'd, OK'ing.
  1. to put one's endorsement on or indicate one's approval of (a request, piece of copy, bank check, etc.); authorize; initial: Would you OK my application?

Origin of OK

1
Initials of a facetious folk phonetic spelling, i.e., oll or orl korrect representing all correct, first attested in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1839, then used in 1840 by Democrat partisans of Martin Van Buren during his election campaign, who allegedly named their organization, theO.K. Club, in allusion to the initials of Old Kinderhook, Van Buren's nickname, derived from his birthplace, Kinderhook, New York
  • Also O.K., ok .

word story For OK

Few Americanisms have been more successful than ok, which survived the political campaign of 1840 that fostered it, quickly lost its political significance, and went on to develop use as a verb, adverb, noun, and interjection. The expression was well known in England by the 1880s. Today ok has achieved worldwide recognition and use. It occurs in all but the most formal speech and writing.

Words Nearby OK

Other definitions for OK (2 of 2)

OK2

abbreviation
  1. Oklahoma (approved especially for use with zip code).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use OK in a sentence

  • I'm going to be one of those people who acts like it's all OK, like it'll all go back to normal some day.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • Her desk was worse than the floor, piled high with books and comics, so we ended up sitting on her bed, which was OK by me.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • I was still moving, reaching for her other hand, for her now-unlocked phone with her thumb still poised over the OK key.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • They sprinkle rat poison over everything at closing-time, but if you get there quick, you're OK.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • Paroccipital, par-OK-sip′i-tal, adj. situated near the occiput.

British Dictionary definitions for OK (1 of 2)

OK

abbreviation for
  1. Oklahoma

British Dictionary definitions for O.K. (2 of 2)

O.K.

/ (ˌəʊˈkeɪ) informal /


sentence substitute
  1. an expression of approval, agreement, etc

adjective, adverb(usually postpositive)
  1. in good or satisfactory condition

  2. permissable: is it O.K. if I go home now?

  1. acceptable but not outstanding: the party was O.K.

verbO.K.s, O.K.ing (ˌəʊˈkeɪɪŋ) or O.K.ed (ˌəʊˈkeɪd)
  1. (tr) to approve or endorse

nounplural O.K.s
  1. approval or agreement

Origin of O.K.

2
C19: perhaps from o (ll) k (orrect), jocular alteration of all correct
  • Also: OK, o.k., okay

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012