OK
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
OK 1
or o·kay (ō-kā′)Informaladj.
1.
a. Satisfactory or agreeable; acceptable: Was everything OK with your stay?
b. Correct: That answer is OK.
c. Barely satisfactory; mediocre: made an OK presentation.
2.
a. In proper or satisfactory operational or working order: Is the battery OK?
b. Uninjured or not seriously injured: The skier fell but was OK.
c. Fairly healthy: Thanks to the medicine, the patient is OK now.
n. pl. OK's or o·kays
Approval; agreement: Get your supervisor's OK before taking a day off.
adv.
Fine; well enough; adequately: a television that works OK despite its age.
interj.
Used to express approval or agreement.
tr.v. OK'ed or OK'd, OK'·ing, OK's or o·kayed or o·kay·ing or o·kays
To approve of or agree to; authorize.
[Abbreviation of oll korrect, slang respelling of all correct.]
Word History: OK is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages. Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts. OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date. During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses. Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor. OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct. Originally spelled with periods, this term outlived most similar abbreviations owing to its use in President Martin Van Buren's 1840 campaign for reelection. Because he was born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and the abbreviation proved eminently suitable for political slogans. That same year, an editorial referring to the receipt of a pin with the slogan O.K. had this comment: "frightful letters ... significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, 'all correct'.... Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions ... to make all things O.K."
OK 2
abbr.
Oklahoma
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
OK
abbreviation for
(Placename) Oklahoma
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
OK
Oklahoma.
OK
o•kay
(ˈoʊˈkeɪ, ˌoʊˈkeɪ, ˈoʊˌkeɪ)adj., adv., n., pl. OKs or OK's or O.K.'s or o•kays, adj.
1. all right; satisfactory: Is everything OK?
2. correct, permissible, or acceptable.
3. feeling well.
4. safe; sound.
5. adequate but unremarkable.
6. estimable, likable, or dependable.
adv. 7. all right; well enough; successfully; fine: He sings OK.
8. (used to request or express agreement, acknowledgment, approval, etc.)
n. 9. an approval, agreement, or endorsement.
v.t. 10. to endorse or indicate approval of; authorize.
[initials of a facetious folk phonetic spelling, e.g., oll or orl korrect representing all correct, first attested in Boston in 1839, then used in 1840 by Democrat partisans of Martin Van Buren, 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]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
OK
Past participle: OKed
Gerund: OKing
Imperative |
---|
OK |
OK |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | OK - a state in south central United States Platt National Park - a national park in Oklahoma having mineral springs U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776 Bartlesville - a town in northeastern Oklahoma Enid - a town in north central Oklahoma Lawton - a town in southwest Oklahoma McAlester - a town in southeastern Oklahoma Muskogee - a town in eastern Oklahoma on the Arkansas River capital of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City - capital and largest city of Oklahoma; the economy is based on oil and livestock Tulsa - a major city of northeastern Oklahoma on the Arkansas river; once known as the oil capital of the world and still heavily involved in the oil and gas industries Arkansas River, Arkansas - a river that rises in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and flows southeast through Kansas and Oklahoma and through Arkansas to become a tributary of the Mississippi River Canadian River, Canadian - a river rising in northeastern New Mexico and flowing eastward across the Texas panhandle to become a tributary of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma Cimarron, Cimarron River - a river that rises in northeastern New Mexico and flows eastward into Oklahoma where it becomes a tributary of the Arkansas River Llano Estacado - a large semiarid plateau forming the southern part of the Great Plains Neosho, Neosho River - a river that rises in eastern Kansas and flows eastward into Oklahoma to become a tributary of the Arkansas River |
2. | OK - an endorsement; "they gave us the O.K. to go ahead" imprimatur, sanction, countenance, endorsement, indorsement, warrant - formal and explicit approval; "a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement" | |
Adj. | 1. | ok - being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition; "an all-right movie"; "the passengers were shaken up but are all right"; "is everything all right?"; "everything's fine"; "things are okay"; "dinner and the movies had been fine"; "another minute I'd have been fine" colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech satisfactory - giving satisfaction; "satisfactory living conditions"; "his grades were satisfactory" |
Adv. | 1. | OK - an expression of agreement normally occurring at the beginning of a sentence |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
OK
okayadjective (Informal)
1. all right, fine, fitting, fair, in order, correct, approved, permitted, suitable, acceptable, convenient, allowable, K (S.M.S.) Is it OK if I bring a friend with me?
all right unacceptable, incorrect, unsatisfactory, unsuitable, displeasing
all right unacceptable, incorrect, unsatisfactory, unsuitable, displeasing
2. fine, good, average, middling, fair, all right, acceptable, adequate, satisfactory, not bad (informal), so-so (informal), tolerable, up to scratch (informal), passable, unobjectionable, K (S.M.S.) `Did you enjoy the film?' `It was okay.'
fine poor, inadequate, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, displeasing, not up to scratch (informal)
fine poor, inadequate, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, displeasing, not up to scratch (informal)
interjection
verb
1. approve, allow, pass, agree to, permit, sanction, second, endorse, authorize, ratify, go along with, consent to, validate, countenance, give the go-ahead, rubber-stamp (informal), say yes to, give the green light, assent to, give the thumbs up (informal), concur in, greenlight, give your consent to, give your blessing to, K (S.M.S.) His doctor wouldn't OK the trip.
noun
1. authorization, agreement, K (S.M.S.), sanction, licence, approval, go-ahead (informal), blessing, permission, consent, say-so (informal), confirmation, mandate, endorsement, green light, ratification, assent, seal of approval, approbation He gave the okay to issue a new press release.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
OK
or O.K.or okay
noun
1. Informal. The approving of an action, especially when done by one in authority:
2. Informal. The act or process of accepting:
adverb
Informal. It is so; as you say or ask:
absolutely, agreed, all right, assuredly, aye, gladly, indubitably, roger, undoubtedly, unquestionably, willingly, yea, yes.
Slang: right on.
Informal. Of moderately good quality but less than excellent:
acceptable, adequate, all right, average, common, decent, fair, fairish, goodish, moderate, passable, respectable, satisfactory, sufficient, tolerable.
Informal: tidy.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
davaihästikombeskorrasnormaalne
OKokei
allerça roulesatisfaisant
OKoké
v redu
гаразддобреокейправильне
khỏe
OK
1 [ˈəʊˈkeɪ]A. EXCL (= all right) → ¡está bien!, ¡okey! (LAm); (= yes) → ¡sí!; (= understood) → ¡comprendo!; (= I agree) → ¡vale!; (= enough) → ¡basta ya!, ¡ya estuvo bueno! (LAm)
OK, OK! → ¡vale, vale!, ¡ya, ya!
OK, the next item on the agenda is → bueno, el siguiente punto en el orden del día es ...
OK, OK! → ¡vale, vale!, ¡ya, ya!
OK, the next item on the agenda is → bueno, el siguiente punto en el orden del día es ...
B. ADJ
2. (= agreed) it's OK with or by me → yo estoy de acuerdo, por mí vale
is it OK with you if ...? → ¿te importa si ...?, ¿te molesta que ...?
OK it's difficult, but → estoy de acuerdo que es difícil pero ...
I'm coming too, OK? → vengo yo también, ¿vale or (LAm) okey?
is it OK with you if ...? → ¿te importa si ...?, ¿te molesta que ...?
OK it's difficult, but → estoy de acuerdo que es difícil pero ...
I'm coming too, OK? → vengo yo también, ¿vale or (LAm) okey?
3. (= acceptable) that may have been OK last year → eso puede haber estado bien el año pasado
E. VT → dar el visto bueno a, aprobar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
OK
, okay (inf)interj → okay (inf); (= agreed also) → einverstanden, in Ordnung; OK, OK! → ist ja gut! (inf), → okay, okay! (inf); I’ll come too, OK? → ich komme auch, okay (inf) → or einverstanden?; OK, that’s enough of that (call for attention) → nun mal Schluss damit!; OK, let’s go! → also, gehen wir!
adj → in Ordnung, okay (inf); that’s OK with or by me (= that’s convenient) → das ist mir recht, mir ists recht; (= I don’t mind that) → von mir aus, mir solls recht sein; is it OK (with you) if …? → macht es (dir) etwas aus, wenn …?; how’s your mother? — she’s OK → wie gehts deiner Mutter? — gut or (not too well) → so einigermaßen (inf); I feel OK → es geht mir einigermaßen (inf); she looks OK → sie sieht einigermaßen aus (inf); to be OK (for time/money etc) → (noch) genug (Zeit/Geld etc) haben; is your car OK? → ist Ihr Auto in Ordnung?; is that OK? → geht das?, ist das okay? (inf); what do you think of him? — he’s OK → was halten Sie von ihm? — der ist in Ordnung (inf); he’s an OK guy (esp US) → er ist ein prima Kerl (inf)
adv
(= well) → gut; (= not too badly) → einigermaßen (gut); (= for sure) → schon; to do OK → ganz gut zurechtkommen; (Sch, in subject) → nicht schlecht sein; they must be doing OK (= be affluent) → es muss ihnen ganz gut gehen; can you mend it OK? → kannst du das reparieren?; can you manage it OK? → kommst du damit klar?; he’ll come OK → der kommt schon
vt order, plan, suggestion → gutheißen, billigen; document, proposed expenses → genehmigen; you have to get the boss to OK it, you have to OK it with the boss → das muss der Chef bewilligen
n → Zustimmung f; to give (somebody/something) the OK → (jdm/zu etw) seine Zustimmung geben; if the boss gives his OK → wenn der Chef das bewilligt; I can start work as soon as I get the OK → ich kann mit der Arbeit anfangen, sobald ich grünes Licht bekomme
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009