ok
|oʊ-keɪ|
🇺🇸
/oʊˈkeɪ/
🇬🇧
/əʊˈkeɪ/
approval / acceptable
Etymology
'ok' originates from American English, specifically the jocular abbreviation 'O.K.' from the phrase 'oll korrect,' where the playful misspelling 'oll korrect' meant 'all correct'.
'ok' changed from the written abbreviation 'O.K.' (19th century, popularized in U.S. print around 1839) to the spelled-out form 'okay' and later to the compact forms 'OK' and 'ok' used in modern English.
Initially, it meant 'all correct' or a mark of approval; over time it broadened to mean 'acceptable', 'satisfactory', or a neutral acknowledgment and is now used in many grammatical roles (interjection, adjective, adverb, noun, verb).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
approval or permission (informal).
He got the ok to start the project.
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Noun 2
the initialism/word 'OK' (historical form), used as a general marker of agreement or correctness.
The note had a big OK written on it.
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Verb 1
to give approval or permission; to authorize.
They ok the proposal yesterday.
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Adjective 1
acceptable or satisfactory but not excellent; adequate.
The test results are ok.
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Adverb 1
in a satisfactory or acceptable way.
She handled the problem ok.
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Last updated: 2025/11/14 02:02