→ not see further than the end of
one’s
nose
→ pay through the nose (for
something
)
→ poke
one’s
nose in(to
something
)
→ put
one’s
nose to the grindstone
→ put
someone’s
nose out of joint
→ right under
someone’s
nose
→ rub
someone’s
nose in
something
→ runny nose
→ stick
one’s
nose in(to
something
)
→ thumb

one’s
nose at
someone or
something
→ turn
one’s
nose up at
someone or
something
→ under
someone’s
(very) nose
→ win by a nose
nose
someone or something
out to
defeat someone or something by a
narrow margin. (Alludes to a
horse winning a race “by a nose.”)
nosedive ["noz daIv] 1. n. a sud-
den drop or decline, especially the
sudden fall of an airplane with the
nose pointing downward.
2. iv. to
plunge with the nose pointing
downward.
3. iv. [for a measure-
ment] to decline or drop suddenly.
(Figurative on W.)
→

go into a nosedive
→ take a nosedive
nostril ["nas tr@l] n. one of the two
outside holes of the nose.
nosy ["noz i] adj. trying to find out
(private) things about people or
things; snooping; prying. (Adv:
nosily. Comp: nosier; sup: nosiest.)
not ["nat] 1. adv. a negative particle
used with verbs, adverbs, partici-
ples, prepositions, nominals, and
adjectives. (Contracted to n’t.)
2. adv. a negative particle that
stands for a part of a sentence that
is being refused, denied, or
negated.
not a moment to spare and
without a moment to spare in
a very big hurry.
not able to see the forest for
the trees
allowing many details
of a problem to obscure the prob-
lem as a whole.
not able to stomach
someone or
something
and cannot stomach
someone or something
not to be

able to put up with someone or
something; not to be able to toler-
ate or endure someone or some-
thing.
not agree with
someone
[for
food] to be unacceptable to some-
one and make the person sick.
not at all not to any extent or
degree; not in any way. (Always in
the negative or questions.)
not born yesterday experienced;
knowledgeable in the ways of the
world.
not carry weight (with
someone
)
[for someone] to have no influ-
ence with someone; [for some-
thing] to have no significance for
someone.
not for hire [of a taxi] not avail-
able to take new passengers.
not for publication not to be
talked about openly; secret.
not give it another thought not
to worry about something any-
more.
not have a leg to stand on [for a

person’s argument or a case] to
have no support.
not hold water to make no sense;
to be illogical. (Said of ideas, argu-
nose someone or something out
386
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 386
TLFeBOOK
ments, etc., not people. It means
that the idea has holes in it.)
not know enough to come in
out of the rain
to be very stupid.
not know
one’s
own strength not
to realize how destructive or
harmful one’s strength can be.
(Present tense only.)
not know
someone
from Adam
not to know someone at all.
not long for this world to be
about to die.
not
one’s
place not one’s role to do
something.
not open

one’s
mouth and not
utter a word to say nothing at
all; not to say anything; not to tell
something (to anyone).
not see further than the end of
one’s
nose to care only about
what is actually present or obvi-
ous; not to care about the future or
about what is happening elsewhere
or to other people.
not set foot
somewhere
to stay out
of or away from somewhere; not
to go somewhere.
not show
one’s
face not to appear
(somewhere).
not sleep a wink not to sleep at
all; to be sleepless; not to close
one’s eyes in sleep even as long as it
takes to blink.
not
someone’s
cup of tea not
something one prefers.
not tell a soul not to reveal some-

thing to anyone.
not up to scratch not adequate.
not utter a word Go to not open
one’s
mouth.
not worth mentioning
1.
not
important enough to require a
comment.
2. [of an error or
wrong] not worth apologizing for.
not worth the trouble not impor-
tant enough to require a comment.
notation [no "te S@n] n. a set of
signs or symbols that is used to
represent something.
notch ["natS] 1. n. a V-shaped cut
in a surface, made for a specific
reason.
2. n. a degree of quality or
quantity. (Figurative on Q.)
3. tv.
to make a V-shaped cut for a spe-
cific reason.
note ["not] 1. n. a short written
message.
2. n. a comment on the
bottom of a page or at the end of a
book that explains, clarifies, or

provides the source of something
in the text. (See also
footnote.)
3. n. a piece of paper money; a
bill.
4. n. the written symbol for a
specific musical tone.
5. n. a spe-
cific musical tone; one sound
made by singing or playing a
musical instrument.
6. n. a sign of
something; a hint of something.
7. tv. to write something as a short
message. (The object can be a
clause with
that U.) 8. tv. to
remark about something; to state
something; to observe something.
(The object is a clause with
that
U.) 9. tv. to pay attention to
something; to remember some-
thing. (The object can be a clause
with
that U.)
→
hit a sour note
→
someone

of note
→ strike a sour note
notebook ["not bUk] n. a book in
which notes are written.
notebook
387
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 387
TLFeBOOK
notepaper ["not pe p#] n. paper
that notes, such as thank-you
notes, are written on. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
notes n. information that is written
down by someone while listening
to a lecture or reading a book.
nothing ["n^T IN] 1. pron. not one
thing; not a thing; not anything.
(No plural. Treated as singular.)
2. n. something that is without
meaning; something that is not
significant or important; not any-
thing that is significant or impor-
tant. (No plural. Treated as
singular.)
3. n. zero; no amount.
(No plural.)
→
in nothing flat
→ like nothing on earth
→ next to nothing

→ sweet nothings
→ want for nothing
nothing but only; just.
nothing but skin and bones and
all skin and bones very thin or
emaciated.
nothing short of
something
more
or less the same as something bad;
as bad as something.
notice ["not Is] 1. tv. to see, hear,
taste, or smell someone or some-
thing; to be aware of someone or
something. (The object can be a
clause with
that U.) 2. n. an
announcement; a sign that warns
or informs; a warning.
3. n. atten-
tion; a state of awareness [about
something]. (No plural.)
→
sit up and take notice
noticeable ["not Is @ b@l] adj. able
to be seen; easily seen; easily
noticed. (Adv: noticeably.)
notify ["not @ faI] tv. to inform
someone about something; to tell
someone officially about some-

thing.
notion ["no S@n] 1. n. an opinion; a
belief.
2. n. a whim; an intention.
noun ["naUn] n. a word that refers
to a person, place, thing, or idea.
(See also
nominal.)
nourish ["n# IS] 1. tv. to feed
someone or something; to give
someone or something the things
necessary for life and health.
2. tv.
to encourage something; to sup-
port something as it develops.
(Figurative on Q. Used especially
with feelings and emotions.)
novel ["nav @l] 1. n. a relatively
long, written story.
2. adj. new;
original; not known before.
novelty ["nav @l ti] 1. n. the quality
of being novel; the quality of being
new or original. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. n. a small
item, often inexpensive and usu-
ally interesting or amusing.
3. the
adj. use of Q or W. (Prenominal

only.)
November [no "vEm b#] Go to
month.
novice ["nav Is] 1. n. someone who
is new at a job or responsibility.
2. n. someone who has just joined
a religious order and will become a
monk or a nun.
3. adj. [of some-
one] new to a task or activity.
(Prenominal only.)
now ["naU] 1. adv. at this moment;
at this point in time; immediately.
2. adv. in these days; in modern
times; in present times.
3. adv. a
word used for emphasis, to get
notepaper
388
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 388
TLFeBOOK
someone’s attention, with com-
mands, and to move on to the next
topic.
4. n. the present; this time.
(No plural.)
now and then sometimes; occa-
sionally.
nowhere ["no WEr] adv. at no place;
to or toward no place; not to or at

any place.
→
come from nowhere
nowhere near not nearly.
nuclear ["nu kli #] adj. of or about
the nucleus of an atom or the
energy created by splitting or fus-
ing the nuclei of atoms.
nuclei ["nu kli aI] plural of nucleus.
nucleus ["nu kli @s] 1. n., irreg. the
center of something; the core of
something. (Plural:
nuclei.) 2. n.,
irreg. the core of an atom, consist-
ing of protons and neutrons.
3. n.,
irreg. the control center of a living
cell.
nude ["nud] 1. adj. naked; not
wearing any clothes.
2. n. someone
who is not wearing any clothes; a
statue or a painting of someone
who is not wearing any clothes.
→
in the nude
nuisance ["nu s@ns] n. a bother;
someone or something that is
annoying.
→

make a nuisance of oneself
numb ["n^m] 1. adj. unable to feel
anything; unable to sense any-
thing. (Adv: numbly [
"n^m li].
Comp: number [
"n^m #]; sup:
numbest [
"n^m @st].) 2. tv. to
cause someone or something to be
unable to feel anything.
number ["n^m b#] 1. n. a symbol
or a word that expresses an
amount; a symbol or a word that
shows how many; a digit or series
of digits that has an assigned sig-
nificance.
2. n. a specific Q that
identifies someone or something
in a series. (Also appears as the
symbol (#).)
3. n. a song; a piece of
music.
4. n. a grammatical cate-
gory showing whether one or
more than one person or thing is
being referred to. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
5. tv. to
assign something a Q. (Refers

especially to things in a series.)
6. tv. to reach a total of a certain
amount; to be a certain amount.
→
cardinal number
→ divide
a number
by
a number
→ divide
a number
into
a number
→ divide by
a number
→ go into
a number
→ in round numbers
→ multiply
a number
by
a number
→
one’s
days are numbered
→ ordinal number
a number of
people or things
some
people or things, in an indefinite

amount. (
Number is treated as plu-
ral, but not countable.)
number off (by
something
) to say
a number in a specified sequence
when it is one’s turn.
number
someone
off to assign
numbers or positions in a
sequence to a group of people.
numeral ["num @ r@l] n. the symbol
or figure that represents a number.
→
Arabic numeral
→ cardinal numeral
→ ordinal numeral
→ Roman numeral
numerous ["num @ r@s] adj. many;
several; a lot. (Adv: numerously.)
numerous
389
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 389
TLFeBOOK
nun ["n^n] n. a woman who is a
member of a religious order.
nurse ["n#s] 1. n. someone, usually
a woman, trained to provide med-

ical care, often under the supervi-
sion of a physician.
2. n. a woman
who raises other people’s children;
a woman who helps a family raise
its children.
3. tv. to feed a baby
milk from one’s breast.
4. tv. [for
anyone] to treat a disease or a sick
person.
5. iv. [for a female mam-
mal] to feed a baby mammal as in
E.
6. iv. [for a baby mammal] to
suck or take milk from a female
mammal.
nurse
someone
back to health
[for anyone] to provide medical
care that will restore someone to
good health.
nurse
someone
through (
some-
thing
) to care for a sick person
during the worst part of a sickness

or recovery.
nursery ["n#s (@) ri] 1. n. a room
for babies in a hospital or resi-
dence.
2. n. a place where children
are watched while their parents are
busy at something else.
3. n. a
place where plants are grown and
sold.
nut ["n^t] 1. n. a hard, woody shell
containing an edible part.
2. n. the
edible part of Q, used as food.
3. n. someone who is crazy,
insane, or foolish. (Slang.)
→
everything from soup to nuts
nutrition [nu "trI S@n] n. the sci-
ence of providing people with
information about healthy food.
(No plural.)
nuts and bolts (of
something
) the
basic facts about something; the
practical details of something.
nutshell ["n^t SEl] n. the hard,
woody shell around the edible part
of a nut.

→
in a nutshell
nutty ["n^t i] 1. adj. tasting like a
nut; made from nuts. (Adv: nut-
tily. Comp: nuttier; sup: nuttiest.)
2. adj. crazy; insane. (Slang. Adv:
nuttily. Comp: nuttier; sup:
nuttiest.)
nuzzle up to
someone or some-
thing
to nestle against someone or
something, especially if leading
with the nose or face.
nylon ["naI lan] 1. n. a very strong
but light, often flexible fiber made
from chemicals, that is used espe-
cially to make clothes and fabric.
(No plural.)
2. adj. made from Q.
nun
390
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 390
TLFeBOOK
oak ["ok] 1. n. a kind of strong tree
that produces an edible nut.
2. n.
wood from Q. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
3. adj. made

from W.
oar ["or] n. a long pole with one
wide, flat end—similar to a pad-
dle—used to steer and row boats.
→
put in
one’s
oar
oases [o "e siz] plural of oasis.
oasis [o "e sIs] 1. n., irreg. a place in
a desert that has water and trees.
(Plural:
oases.) 2. n., irreg. a place
that is free of problems or difficul-
ties. (Figurative on Q.)
oat ["ot] 1. n. a cereal grain used as
food for humans and cattle.
2. n. a
single grain of Q.
3. adj. made of
Q.
→
sow
one’s
wild oats
oath ["oT] n., irreg. a promise that
one will speak only the truth; a
promise that one will do some-
thing. (Plural: [
"oDz].)

→
take an oath
→ under oath
oatmeal ["ot mil] 1. n. crushed
oats. (No plural.)
2. n. cooked Q,
usually eaten with milk and sugar.
(No plural.)
3. adj. made with
crushed oats.
oats n. a cereal grain used as food
for humans and cattle. (Treated as
plural, but not countable.)
obedience [o "bid i @ns] n. the con-
dition of being obedient. (No plu-
ral.)
obedient [o "bid i @nt] adj. obeying;
willingly following orders. (Adv:
obediently.)
obey [o "be] 1. tv. to yield to some-
one and do as one has been
instructed; to follow instructions,
commands, or rules.
2. iv. to do as
one is told.
object 1. ["ab dZEkt] n. a thing;
something that can be seen or
touched.
2. ["ab dZEkt] n. a goal;
an aim; someone or something

that a thought or an action is
directed toward.
3. ["ab dZEkt] n.
a noun or nominal that is affected
by the action or condition of a
verb, a noun or nominal within a
prepositional phrase.
→
Money is no object.
object (to
something
) [@b
"dZEkt
] to oppose something; to
argue against something; to make
an objection about something.
objection [@b "dZEk S@n] n. a stated
reason for not wanting to do
something.
oblige [@ "blaIdZ] iv. to do some-
thing nice for someone; to do
someone a favor.
oblige
someone
to
do something
to
require someone to do something.
oblong ["ab lON] adj. [especially of
a circle or a rectangle] long and a

little narrow. (Adv: oblongly.)
obnoxious [@b "nak S@s] adj. very
annoying; very irritating. (Adv:
obnoxiously.)
oboe ["o bo] n. a musical instru-
ment that has a long, thin wooden
body and a mouthpiece holding a
double reed.
obscure [@b "skjUr] 1. adj. [of rea-
soning or explanation] hard to
391
O
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 391
Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
.
Click Here for Terms of Use.
TLFeBOOK
understand or not clearly stated.
(Adv: obscurely.)
2. adj. not well
known; not famous. (Adv:
obscurely.)
3. adj. hard to see; hid-
den, especially by darkness. (Adv:
obscurely.)
4. tv. to make some-
thing hard to see; to keep some-
thing from view; to dim or darken
something.
5. tv. to make some-

thing difficult to understand; to
cloud one’s meaning. (Figurative
on R.)
observe [@b "z#v] 1. tv. to watch
something; to see something; to
notice something.
2. tv. to obey a
law or custom; to pay attention to
a law or custom. (The object can
be a clause with
that U.) 3. tv. to
celebrate a holiday.
4. tv. to make a
comment or a remark; to state
something. (The object is a clause
with
that U.)
obsessed [@b "sEst] adj. thinking
about someone or something too
much, as if one were forced to do
so.
obsessed with
someone or some-
thing
always thinking about a per-
son, a thought, or an activity.
obstruct [@b "str^kt] tv. to get in
the way of someone or something;
to block someone or something.
obstruction [@b "str^k S@n] n.

something that is in the way;
something that is blocking the
way.
obtain [@b "ten] tv. to get some-
thing; to gain possession of some-
thing; to come to own something.
obvious ["ab vi @s] adj. easily rec-
ognized; easily seen or under-
stood; plain; clear. (Adv:
obviously.)
occasion [@ "ke Z@n] 1. n. a time
when something happens; a time
when something occurs; an
instance.
2. n. a special event.
occasional [@ "ke Z@ n@l] adj. hap-
pening from time to time; hap-
pening once in a while; not
happening all the time or regu-
larly. (Adv: occasionally.)
occult [@ "k^lt] adj. hidden from
regular knowledge; filled with
mystery.
the
occult n. things that are hidden
from regular knowledge or experi-
ence, including magic and other
secret things. (No plural. Treated
as singular.)
occupancy ["ak j@ p@n si] 1. n.

occupying a house, building, or
other piece of property. (No plu-
ral.)
2. n. the number of people
that a room or building is allowed
to hold. (No plural.)
→
immediate occupancy
occupant ["ak j@ p@nt] n. someone
who lives in a certain place; a busi-
ness that occupies a certain build-
ing or space.
occupation [ak j@ "pe S@n] 1. n. a
job; a career; what one does for a
living.
2. n. taking or keeping pos-
session of a region or a country.
occupy ["ak j@ paI] 1. tv. to use or
consume time by doing some-
thing.
2. tv. to keep someone busy
doing something.
3. tv. to be in a
certain place; to take up the space
in a certain place; to live in a cer-
tain place; to have one’s business
in a certain place.
4. tv. to move
observe
392

06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 392
TLFeBOOK
into and take control of another
country.
occur [@ "k#] 1. iv. to happen; to
take place.
2. iv. to be; to exist; to
be found.
occur to
someone
to come to
someone’s mind; [for a thought] to
enter into someone’s mind.
occurrence [@ "k# @ns] n. an event;
something that happens; an inci-
dent.
the
occurrence of
something
the
existence of something; the
appearance or happening of some-
thing in a particular place.
ocean ["o S@n] n. a large body of
salt water that covers ¾ of the
earth’s surface, or one of that
body’s four divisions: the Arctic
Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the
Indian Ocean, and the Pacific
Ocean.

an
ocean of
someone or something
Go to oceans of
someone or something
.
oceans of
someone or something
and an ocean of
someone or
something
a very large number of
people or things.
o’clock [@ "klak] adv. a word used
to indicate the time of day. (It fol-
lows a number from 1 to 12 and
means that it is that time exactly,
or zero minutes past the hour. Lit-
erally, of the clock.)
octagon ["ak t@ gan] n. a flat figure
or shape with eight sides.
octave ["ak tIv] n. a musical inter-
val of two notes where the higher
note is twelve half tones above the
lower note; [on a piano] the first
and eighth key in a row of eight
white keys.
October [ak "to b#] Go to month.
octopi ["ak t@ paI] a plural of
octopus.

octopus ["ak t@ p@s] n., irreg. a
boneless sea creature with eight
legs. (Greek for “eight-footed.”
The English plural is octopuses or
octopi.)
odd ["ad] 1. adj. strange; different;
unusual; out of place. (Adv: oddly.
Comp: odder; sup: oddest.)
2. adj.
not even; [of a number] not able
to be divided by two without an
amount (one) being left over.
3. adj. not regular; [of occasions
or events] random; occasional.
(Prenominal only. Comp: odder;
sup: oddest.)
odd man out an unusual or atypi-
cal person or thing.
oddity ["ad @ ti] 1. n. the state of
being unusual or strange. (No plu-
ral.)
2. n. something that is odd;
something that is unusual or
strange.
the
odds are against one one’s
chances are slim; there is little
chance of one succeeding; the sit-
uation is not favorable to one.
odor ["o d#] n. a smell; a scent; an

aroma.
of [@v] 1. prep. belonging to some-
one; owned by someone; closely
associated with someone. (Takes a
nominal in the possessive form.
Pronouns that can follow
of in this
sense are mine, yours, his, hers,
ours, and theirs.)
2. prep. con-
nected to someone or something;
relating to someone or something;
associated with someone or some-
thing; representing someone or
of
393
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 393
TLFeBOOK
something; being a portion or part
from something.
3. prep. made
from something.
4. prep. contain-
ing something; including someone
or something; having people or
things as the members or parts.
5. prep. a preposition expressing a
measurement or an amount.
6. prep. a preposition linking a
type of location to the name of a

location.
7. prep. referring to
someone or something; about
someone or something; concern-
ing someone or something.
8. prep. having a certain quality or
aspect.
9. prep. before a certain
hour.
of all the nerve how shocking;
how dare (someone). (The speaker
is exclaiming that someone is
being very insolent or rude.)
of interest (to
someone
) interest-
ing to someone.
of the first water of the finest
quality. (Originally a measure-
ment of the quality of a pearl.)
off ["Of] 1. prep. away from some-
one or something; not on someone
or something. (Q through R are
often off of, a construction
objected to by some.)
2. prep. less
than something; deducted from
something.
3. prep. leading away
from a place or path; turning from

a place or path; connecting to a
place or path.
4. prep. in or over
the water near land.
5. adj.
stopped; not being used; causing
something not to function or
operate, especially by stopping the
flow of electricity. (Not prenomi-
nal.)
6. adj. wrong; not accurate.
(Not prenominal.)
7. adj. can-
celed. (Not prenominal.)
8. adj.
[of a time period] free of work.
(Not prenominal.)
off base unrealistic; inexact;
wrong.
off campus not located within the
campus of a college or university.
off duty not working at one’s job.
off the air [relating to radio or
television stations and programs]
not broadcasting or being broad-
cast.
off the record unofficial; infor-
mal.
off the subject not concerned
with the subject being discussed.

off the top of
one’s
head [to state
something] rapidly and without
having to think or remember.
off to a running start with a
good, fast beginning.
off-color
1.
not the exact color
(that one wants).
2. rude, vulgar,
or impolite.
offend [@ "fEnd] tv. to shock some-
one, especially through one’s
actions, attitude, or behavior.
offense 1. [@ "fEns] n. the breaking
of a law; a crime; an illegal act.
2. [@ "fEns] n. something that
is shocking or disgusting.
3. ["O fEns] n. a way of attacking;
an attack.
offensive 1. [@ "fEn sIv] adj. shock-
ing; annoying; offending someone.
(Adv: offensively.)
2. ["O fEn sIv]
adj. of or about attacking. (Adv:
offensively.)
3. [@ "fEn sIv] n. an
attack.

offer ["Of #] 1. tv. to present some-
thing that can be taken or refused.
of all the nerve
394
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 394
TLFeBOOK
2. tv. to propose a price for some-
thing that is being sold.
3. n.
something that is
offered as in Q.
4. n. a price or amount that is
offered as in W.
offer to
do something
to indicate
that one is willing to do some-
thing.
offering ["Of # IN] n. something
that is offered, especially to a
church, to a charity, or as part of a
religious ceremony.
office ["Of Is] 1. n. a room—usually
assigned to one person—where
business is done.
2. n. the com-
bined workplaces of a number of
people.
3. n. a position of power
and responsibility, especially in a

government or an organization.
→
do a land-office business
→ home office
→ post office
office hours ["Of Is aU #z] n. the
times when an office is open.
(Treated as singular or plural.
Rarely singular.)
officer ["O f@ s#] n. someone in a
position of authority, especially in
the military, the government, or
some other organization.
→
police officer
official [@ "fI S@l] 1. n. an officer;
someone in a position of author-
ity.
2. adj. of or about the power,
authority, and responsibility of an
office or an officer. (Adv: offi-
cially.)
offshore ["Of "Sor] adj. located or
occurring in, on, or over the water
away from the shore.
offspring ["Of sprIN] n. [a person’s]
child or children; [an animal’s]
young. (No plural. Treated as sin-
gular or plural.)
offstage ["Of "stedZ] 1. adj. next to

the visible part of the stage of a
theater, but not visible to the audi-
ence.
2. adv. at, to, or toward the
area next to the visible part of the
stage.
often ["Of @n] adv. frequently; hap-
pening many times.
oh ["o] interj. a form expressing sur-
prise or other feelings.
oil ["oIl] 1. n. a slick, greasy liquid
that does not dissolve in water.
(Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. tv. to put lubrication
on something using Q; to make
something slippery by putting Q
on it; to put Q on something.
→
burn the midnight oil
→ pour oil on troubled water
oilcan ["oIl kAn] n. a can that is
used to apply oil as lubrication.
oily ["oIl i] adj. made of oil; con-
taining oil; soaked with oil.
(Comp: oilier; sup: oiliest.)
oink ["oINk] 1. n. the sound made
by a pig.
2. iv. to make the sound
of a pig.

ointment ["oInt m@nt] n. a sub-
stance that is put on the skin to
heal it, soothe it, or soften it.
→
fly in the ointment
okay and OK [o "ke] 1. adv. all
right; adequately.
2. adv. to a
degree of intensity below “very
good” but above “poor.”
3. adj.
just good, but not excellent.
4. interj. a word used to confirm
that one understands something.
5. n. approval. 6. tv. to approve
something.
okay
395
06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 395
TLFeBOOK