OK/okay
OK/okay
Pronunciation
OK/okay
/ˌoʊˈkeɪ/
o-: /oʊ/ (as in "oh") - a diphthong starting with a mid-back rounded vowel and gliding to a high-back rounded vowel.
-kay: /keɪ/ (as in "kayak" or "cake") - a voiceless velar stop followed by a diphthong starting with a mid-front unrounded vowel and gliding to a high-front unrounded vowel.
Word Form Variations
"OK" and "okay" are relatively invariable in their core forms. However, they can be used in various grammatical constructions:
Noun: OKs, okays (plural, though less common)
Verb: OKs, okays (third-person singular present), OK'd, okayed (past tense/past participle), OK'ing, okaying (present participle)
Adjective: OK, okay (no common variations)
Adverb: OK, okay (no common variations)
Interjection: OK, okay (no common variations)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Books:
"He said, 'Okay, I'll be there.' And then he hung up." (From "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides, February 2019)
"Is it okay if I sit here?" she asked, gesturing to the empty chair. (From "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, August 2018)
Newspapers:
"The city council gave the OK for the new development project to proceed." (Example based on typical local news reporting, e.g., The Denver Post)
"After a brief delay, the flight was given the 'all clear' and it was okay to board." (Example based on typical travel news, e.g., The New York Times)
Online Publications:
"It's okay to not be okay: Mental health tips for navigating challenging times." (Headline from a self-help article, e.g., Psychology Today)
"The software update is now live, and so far, everything seems to be running OK." (Tech blog post, e.g., The Verge)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "Okay, alright, alright." (Matthew McConaughey's famous line from Dazed and Confused, September 1993)
Television Series: "Are you okay, Rick?" (A common line of dialogue from The Walking Dead, e.g., Season 7, October 2016)
Music: "I'm not okay (I promise)" (Song title by My Chemical Romance, from the album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, June 2004)
Podcast: "Okay, so our next guest is going to talk about the future of AI." (Typical podcast host transition, e.g., The Daily, May 2025)
Social Media: "Just landed in London! Everything's OK so far." (A user's tweet/post, e.g., X (formerly Twitter), June 2025)
General Public Discourse:
"Is it okay if I borrow your pen for a minute?" (Casual conversation between colleagues)
"The doctor said my test results came back okay." (Spoken in a conversation about health)
"Okay, let's try that again." (A teacher instructing students)
"The restaurant food was just okay, nothing special." (Friend discussing a dining experience)
Examples of Use
"Okay, you win." (Doc Holliday, Tombstone, December 1993)
"Is this okay?" (Rachel Green, Friends, Season 1, September 1994)
"All right, all right, all right... okay." (Matthew McConaughey, Dazed and Confused, September 1993)
"It's okay to not be okay." (Title of a mental health campaign/common phrase attributed to various sources, e.g., National Alliance on Mental Illness)
"I'm okay." (Said frequently in various films and TV shows after a character experiences a shock or injury, e.g., The Fugitive, August 1993)
"Okay, here's the deal." (A common setup line in many movies and TV series, e.g., Breaking Bad, January 2008)
"You're not okay, are you?" (Common dialogue in dramatic contexts, e.g., Grey's Anatomy, March 2005)
"Just remember, we're not trying to be okay." (A line emphasizing striving for more than just sufficiency, common in motivational speeches)
"Okay, boomer." (Internet meme/phrase, popularized around 2019)
"Is that okay with you?" (A common phrase seeking agreement or permission, e.g., The Office (US), March 2005)
10 Quotes Using Olympics
"The most important thing in the Olympics is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle." (Pierre de Coubertin)
"If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard." (Jesse Owens)
"The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself." (Dawn Fraser)
"For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth." (Mary Lou Retton)
"My only focus was the Olympics because in my sport, that is the ultimate." (Cammi Granato)
"At the Olympics, you're there to do a job. I feel you should take it seriously." (Shannon Miller)
"I love the Olympics. The Olympics are an event that few can fathom but all can enjoy, and that's why athletes work our whole lives to put on the greatest show on Earth." (Johnny Weir)
"My biggest loss was the Olympics." (Mark Spitz)
"The road to the Olympics, leads to no city, no country. It goes far beyond New York or Moscow, ancient Greece or Nazi Germany. The road to the Olympics leads — in the end — to the best within us." (Jesse Owens)
"It has been a wonderful experience to compete in the Olympics and to bring home a gold medal. But since I have been a young lad, I have had my eyes on a different prize." (Eric Liddell)
Etymology
The word "OK" (or "okay") is one of the most widely recognized words in the world, and its origin story is quite interesting, though it was debated for a long time.
Most experts now agree that "OK" started as a kind of joke or slang abbreviation in American English in the late 1830s. At that time, there was a fad, especially among younger, educated people in cities like Boston, to create and use funny abbreviations of deliberately misspelled phrases.
The first known use in print of "O.K." (with periods) appeared on March 23, 1839, in the Boston Morning Post newspaper. It was used as an abbreviation for "oll korrect," which was a humorous misspelling of "all correct." The idea was that it was a bit of a silly, insider joke among writers and readers.
So, its initial meaning was simply "all correct" or "all right," used in a playful or facetious way.
While many of these slang abbreviations from that era faded away, "OK" stuck around. It got a big boost in popularity during the 1840 U.S. presidential election. Martin Van Buren, who was running for re-election, was nicknamed "Old Kinderhook" because he was from Kinderhook, New York. His supporters formed "OK Clubs," which conveniently also tied into the "oll korrect" meaning, giving the word a wider audience and solidifying its place in American speech.
From there, it spread through various means, including the rise of the telegraph (where quick, short messages were useful), and later through American influence in global conflicts and culture.
While other theories for its origin have been proposed (like from a Choctaw word "okeh," or various European languages), the "oll korrect" theory is now the most widely accepted by linguists.
Phrases + Idioms Containing OK/Okay
All systems go / All systems OK: Everything is ready and working properly.
Give the OK / Get the OK: To give or receive approval or permission.
It's not OK: It's unacceptable or wrong.
Are we all okay here? (Often asked to check on a group's well-being.)
You'll be okay: A comforting phrase, meaning things will turn out well.
Everything's going to be okay: A reassuring statement about a future positive outcome.
That's okay: Used to express acceptance or forgiveness (e.g., "That's okay, no harm done").
Okay by me: Acceptable to me; I approve.
Okay, but...: Used to acknowledge something before introducing a counterpoint or condition.
Okay, then: A transition phrase often indicating a conclusion or a shift in topic.
Just okay: Mediocre; neither good nor bad.
To okay something: To approve or sanction something.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of OK/okay from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
