OK

¹ American  

[oh-key, oh-key, oh-key] / ˈoʊˈkeɪ, ˌoʊˈkeɪ, ˈoʊˌkeɪ /

Also O.K., or okay

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.

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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 American  

abbreviation

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

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O.K. ¹ British  

/ ˌəʊˈkeɪ /

1. an expression of approval, agreement, etc

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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 British  

abbreviation

1. Oklahoma

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of OK

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

Explanation

Anything that's ok is all right or fine. A perfectly ok answer when your dad asks how your homework is going is "Ok." If something's ok, it's not terrible, but it's not wonderful either — it's simply ok. You can use this informal word to ask if something's acceptable: "Hey, is it ok if I borrow your car?" It's also a good way to check up on someone's well-being: "You look sad today; are you ok?" Ok is the only known example that's still in use of a 19th century slang trend of abbreviating deliberate misspellings. Ok comes from "oll korrect."

Example Sentences

Kelly: OK, let's try to get to know Ollie away from the pitch a little bit.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

We should never be able to sit with it and feel OK.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

And that’s perfectly OK for them, because they won’t suffer a pang of guilt because of their decision, and they won’t actually feel better about accepting the $150 if they give half of it away.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

OK, bonus question: You live and work in New York City.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Brad is usually OK, but he always shows off in front of his friends.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Related Words

• okay
• permission
• yes