Okie
1[ oh-kee ]
/ ˈoʊ ki /
Save This Word!
noun Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
a term used to refer to a migrant farm worker from Oklahoma or nearby states, especially one who moved westward during the Great Depression.
a term used to refer to a native or inhabitant of Oklahoma.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Origin of Okie
1First recorded in 1915–20; Ok(lahoma) + -ie
usage note for Okie
In historical contexts, Okie is usually used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting, implying that the migrant worker is poor, transient, ignorant, or uneducated. But as a general nickname for an Oklahoman, Okie is sometimes appropriated as a positive term of self-reference.
Words nearby Okie
O'Kelly, Oken, okey-doke, Okhotsk, Okhotsk Plate, Okie, Okinawa, Okla., Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Bombing
Other definitions for Okie (2 of 2)
Okie2
[ oh-kee ]
/ ˈoʊ ki /
noun
a contemptuous term used to refer to a native of Okinawa.
adjective
belonging to the Okinawan people.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Okie in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Okie
Okie
/ (ˈəʊkɪ) /
noun US slang, sometimes offensive
an inhabitant of Oklahoma
an impoverished migrant farm worker, esp one who left Oklahoma during the Depression of the 1930s to work elsewhere in the US
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