ok
ok Lexical Profile
ok Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Satisfactory, acceptable, or in good condition, though not necessarily exceptional.
"The restaurant was ok, though the service was a bit slow."
Unharmed, safe, well, or in a stable emotional or physical state.
"The paramedics checked to make sure all the passengers were ok after the minor collision."
Permissible, allowed, or socially acceptable.
"Is it ok if I leave my luggage at the front desk for an hour?"
• adverb
In a satisfactory, acceptable, or moderately good manner; well enough.
"The new software update is running ok on older laptops."
• interjection
Used to express agreement, assent, compliance, or acknowledgment.
"Ok, I will send you the updated schedule by noon."
Used as a discourse marker to attract attention, transition to a new topic, or conclude a discussion.
"Ok, let us move on to the third item on the agenda."
• noun
An authorization, endorsement, or expression of approval.
"The committee finally gave us the ok to begin construction on the community center."
• verb
To approve, authorize, or sanction officially.
"The board of directors must ok the budget before any funds are released."
Word Nuance & Usage
Commonly written as 'OK', 'O.K.', or 'okay', with 'OK' and 'okay' being the most widely accepted forms in contemporary prose; when inflected as a verb, spelling it 'okayed' and 'okaying' is often preferred to avoid awkward apostrophes ('OK'd').
• Rhymes for ok
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in Boston newspapers in 1839 as a humorous initialism for 'oll korrect' (a deliberate, playful misspelling of 'all correct'), and subsequently popularized nationwide during the 1840 U.S. presidential campaign as a slogan for Martin Van Buren ('Old Kinderhook').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.