Okie
1[ oh-kee ]
/ ˈoʊ ki /
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.
QUIZZES
CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?
American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Origin of Okie
1First recorded in 1930–35; 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 homeless, poor, ignorant, and uneducated. But as a nickname for an Oklahoman, Okie is sometimes appropriated as a positive term of self-reference.
Words nearby Okie
Okeghem, O'Kelly, Oken, okey-doke, Okhotsk, Okie, Okinawa, Okla., Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Bombing
Definition 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. 2020
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