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Okie1

[oh-kee]
See more synonyms for Okie on Thesaurus.com
noun Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
  1. a term used to refer to a migrant farm worker from Oklahoma or nearby states, especially one who moved westward during the Great Depression.
  2. a term used to refer to a native or inhabitant of Oklahoma.
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Origin of Okie1

First recorded in 1930–35; Ok(lahoma) + -ie

Usage note

In historical contexts, Okie is usually used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting, implying that the migrant worker is homeless, poor, ignorant, and uneducated. But as a nickname for an Oklahoman, Okie is sometimes appropriated as a positive term of self-reference.

Okie2

[oh-kee]Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
noun
  1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a native of Okinawa.
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adjective
  1. belonging to the Okinawan people.
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Origin of Okie2

First recorded in 1935–40; Ok(inawa) + -ie
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for okie

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Listen, you guys," Okie pounded his fat finger into Sartan's chest.

    Jubilation, U.S.A.

    G. L. Vandenburg

  • Okie took the piece between his fingers, examined it and frowned.

    Jubilation, U.S.A.

    G. L. Vandenburg

  • Okie lit out from behind the bar and elbowed his way through the crowd.

    Jubilation, U.S.A.

    G. L. Vandenburg

  • Okie, the proprietor, was on duty readying the place for the night shift.

    Jubilation, U.S.A.

    G. L. Vandenburg

  • Okie arbitrarily judged the gold piece to be worth ten dollars.

    Jubilation, U.S.A.

    G. L. Vandenburg

British Dictionary definitions for okie

Okie

noun US slang, sometimes offensive
  1. an inhabitant of Oklahoma
  2. an impoverished migrant farm worker, esp one who left Oklahoma during the Depression of the 1930s to work elsewhere in the US
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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

Word Origin and History for okie

Okie

"migrant agricultural worker," especially one driven from farms in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, 1938, short for U.S. state of Oklahoma.

"Okie use' ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you're a dirty son-of-a-bitch." [John Steinbeck, "The Grapes of Wrath," 1939]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper