noun
Etymology
Origin of moxie
An Americanism first recorded in 1925–30; after Moxie, a trademark (name of a soft drink)
Explanation
If you have moxie, you won’t let a minor setback stop you from trying again, because you’re a determined person who doesn’t give up easily. Moxie describes someone with a fighting spirit. A boxer needs moxie in order to get up after being punched in the face, and a computer programmer who spends years building a video game has a lot of moxie. The word moxie comes from a soft drink named Moxie that tastes like sugary cough medicine and claimed it would “build up your nerve.” Someone who is brave enough to drink an entire can of that curious beverage clearly has moxie.
Vocabulary lists containing moxie
Ben Zimmer's 30 Great American Words
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The Schwa Was Here
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Cope Field
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its history is linked to WhatsApp: the site was founded by cryptographer and entrepreneur Moxie Marlinspike, with an initial $50 million from WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
Moxie moves mountains, and in a time when many of us are exhausted by celebrity influencing and mindless idol worship, Paltrow has maintained her enigmatic pull.
From Salon • Dec. 22, 2025
The designers, who are based in Norwich, said the show's title, Moxie - meaning perseverance and courage - reflected their journey to where they are today.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2024
Los fabricantes de Moxie, que pertenecen a una empresa emergente llamada Embodied, califican este artefacto como “el primer amigo robot de IA del mundo”.
From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2023
I pulled Mom’s research proposal out of my bag and opened to the page where I’d given Mom’s fisherman a beard and a can of Moxie.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
