Etymology 1

Abbreviated fanciful spelling of "all correct" (oll korrect), as part of a fad for similar comical abbreviations (of which no others have survived) in the United States in the late 1830s.

Alternative forms

• O.K., okay, okey-dokey, k, 'kay, m'kay, A-OK

Noun

1. endorsement; approval

   We can start as soon as we get the OK.

Verb

1. To approve.

   I don't want to OK this amount of money.

2. To confirm by activating a button marked OK.
   • 2001, Mike Collins, Pro Tools: Practical Recording, Editing and Mixing for Music Production

     Type a suitable name for your Marker and OK the dialogue box.

   • 2008, Martin Evening, Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers

     When you OK the crop, the image size will be adjusted to match the front image resolution.

Adjective

1. all right, permitted

   Do you think it's OK to stay here for the night?

2. satisfactory, reasonably good; not exceptional

   The soup was OK, but the dessert was excellent.

3. in good health or a good emotional state

   He's not feeling well now, but he should be OK after some rest.

Synonyms

allowed, all right, permissible adequate, all right, not bad, satisfactory fine, well

Antonyms

forbidden bad, inadequate, poor, unsatisfactory ill, poorly, sick, under the weather, unwell

Adverb

1. satisfactorily, sufficiently well

   The team did OK in the playoffs.

Interjection

1. An utterance expressing exasperation, similar to "all right!"

   OK! I get it! Stop nagging me!

2. Used to introduce a sentence in order to draw attention to the importance of what is being said.

   OK, I'm thinking of a number...

See also

• Wikipedia article on "okay"
• Wikipedia article on the "OK" hand gesture
• Wikipedia article on "A-OK" and the hand gesture

1. Oklahoma, a state of the United States of America.