OK

¹

Also O.K.,
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?

3. doing well or in good health; managing adequately.

   She's been OK since the operation.

4. adequate but unexceptional or unremarkable; tolerable.

   The job they did was OK, nothing more.

5. 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.

3. (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?

OK

²

abbreviation

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

O.K.

¹

/ ˌəʊˈkeɪ /

1. an expression of approval, agreement, etc

adjective

1. in good or satisfactory condition

2. permissable

   is it O.K. if I go home now?

3. acceptable but not outstanding

   the party was O.K.

verb

1. (tr) to approve or endorse

noun

1. approval or agreement

OK

²

abbreviation

1. Oklahoma

Word History and Origins

Origin of OK¹

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, the O.K. Club, in allusion to the initials of Old Kinderhook, Van Buren's nickname, derived from his birthplace, Kinderhook, New York

Word History and Origins

Origin of OK¹

C19: perhaps from o ( ll ) k ( orrect ), jocular alteration of all correct

Example Sentences

“He wants us all, in big cities, to get used to the idea that it’s OK to have military on the streets,” he said at the Minnesota Star Tribune’s North Star Summit.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

It’s OK to start with a light vest, but getting an adjustable one is recommended, so you can increase the weight.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

When you are young you can drink every night and wake up hung over and look great and feel basically OK, but eventually that ceases to be the case.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

OK, I admit I didn’t worry that much, since I was busy blasting a rogue Cheetos wrapper into a yard-waste bag.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“It’s actually a signal to parents to say, it’s OK to say no,” said Dare, who is part of a group called the Heads Up Alliance that supports a ban.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• okay 
• permission 
• yes 

When To Use

And is OK in the dictionary?

OK is a word. The term OK may also be spelled okay. There is confusion as to whether OK is a word because it is informal, looks like an acronym, and is spelled with all capital letters. However, none of these elements disqualify OK from being a valid word.