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OK

/ˌˈoʊˌkeɪ/
/əʊˈkeɪ/
IPA guide

Something that's OK is acceptable or allowable — it's fine. If you ask your little brother how the scary rollercoaster ride was and he answers, "It was OK," it didn't quite live up to his expectations.

Use OK or its variant, okay, to mean "all right," or to express your approval. If your sister asks whether she can use your roller skates and you answer, "OK," you've authorized her to borrow them. Word experts have different theories for the origin of this word, the most common one being a 19th-century Boston fad of abbreviating misspellings, which led to OK as a shortened form of "oll korrect," or "all correct."

Definitions of OK
  1. adverb
    an expression of agreement normally occurring at the beginning of a sentence
  2. noun
    a show of acceptance or approval
    synonyms: O.K., okay, okeh, okey
    see moresee less
    type of:
    countenance, endorsement, imprimatur, indorsement, sanction, warrant
    formal and explicit approval
  3. noun
    a state in south central United States
    synonyms: Oklahoma, Sooner State
    see moresee less
    example of:
    American state
    one of the 50 states of the United States
Pronunciation
US
/ˌˈoʊˌkeɪ/
UK
/əʊˈkeɪ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘OK'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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