What does "ok" mean?
Endorsement; approval; acceptance; acquiescence.
Ok
/ˌəʊˈkeɪ/ adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Endorsement; approval; acceptance; acquiescence.
- Grammar: ok is listed as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: absolute, absolutely, accede, accede to.
- Useful contrasts: bad, forbidden, ill.
- Usage evidence: Be sure to telephone by Friday, OK?
How to use "ok"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ok" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ok" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ok" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ok" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ok" is acting as adj, adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absolute" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ok", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Endorsement; approval; acceptance; acquiescence.
"We can start as soon as we get the OK."
- 2 Karaoke. Hong-Kong, no-plural
- 3 an endorsement wordnet
Verb
- 1 To approve; to accept; to acquiesce to. transitive
"I don't want to OK this amount of money."
- 2 To confirm by activating a button marked OK. transitive
"Type a suitable name for your Marker and OK the dialogue box."
Adjective
- 1 All right, acceptable, permitted.
"Is it OK if I spend the night?"
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of OK. alt-of, informal
- 3 Satisfactory, reasonably good; not exceptional.
"The soup was OK, but the dessert was excellent."
- 4 Satisfied (with); willing to accept a state of affairs.
"If you leave the kids in the creche for one morning on your week's holiday, and they are OK with that, then it's fine."
- 5 In good health or a good emotional state.
"He's not feeling well now, but he should be OK after some rest."
Adjective
- 1 being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Satisfactorily, sufficiently well.
"The team did OK in the playoffs."
Adverb
- 1 an expression of agreement normally occurring at the beginning of a sentence wordnet
Intj
- 1 Used to indicate acknowledgement or acceptance.
"I promise to give it back. – OK."
- 2 Alternative form of OK (“okay”). alt-of, alternative
- 3 Used to dismiss a dialog box or confirm a prompt.
- 4 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…"
- 5 Used in turn-taking, serving as a request to the speaker to grant the turn to the interrupter.
"You always do this to me! When we were at your mother’s, you said that… – OK, OK, …"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Used to sarcastically or sardonically indicate agreement with the previous statement.
Proper Noun
- 1 Abbreviation of Oklahoma: a state of the United States. abbreviation, alt-of
- 2 A language family spoken in Papua New Guinea.
- 3 Alternative form of Ok.: Abbreviation of Oklahoma: a state of the United States. abbreviation, alt-of, alternative
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Be sure to telephone by Friday, OK?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ok"?
Common synonyms include: absolute, absolutely, accede, accede to, accept, acceptable.
How do you use "ok" in a sentence?
Be sure to telephone by Friday, OK?
How do you pronounce "ok"?
Pronounced /ˌəʊˈkeɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Origin disputed. Wikipedia lists many possible etymologies, of which the most widely accepted is that it is an abbreviation of oll/orl korrect, a comical spelling of all correct, which first appeared in print in The Boston Morning Post on March 23, 1839, as part of a fad for similar fanciful abbreviations in the United States during the late 1830s. The expression became popular through its use in the presidential campaign of Martin Van Buren in 1840, who was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and then slowly acquired other meanings. The Choctaw word oke, okeh (“it is so”), common in Choctaw translations of the Bible, could also explain OK's variety of affirmative definitions. Additionally, okeh was the most common etymology of okay in dictionaries until the 1960s, and linguistically predates Boston's O.K.. However, this theory suffers from the fact that the Choctaw language was relatively obscure and generally spoken (sometimes in a pidgin form) mainly with African-American slaves.
Etymology 2
Possibly a shortening of Chinese 卡拉OK.