juju

American  

[joo-joo] / ˈdʒu dʒu /

noun

1. an object venerated superstitiously and used as a fetish or amulet in West African spiritual practices.

2. the magical power attributed to such an object.

3. Informal. an emanating aura or supernatural force: The team chalked up that string of unfortunate losses to bad juju on the road.

   The charismatic lead singer has serious juju.

   The team chalked up that string of unfortunate losses to bad juju on the road.

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juju British  

/ ˈdʒuːdʒuː /

noun

1. an object superstitiously revered by certain W African peoples and used as a charm or fetish

2. the power associated with a juju

3. a taboo effected by a juju

4. any process in which a mystery is exploited to confuse people

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Other Word Forms

• jujuism noun
• jujuist noun

Etymology

Origin of juju

First recorded in 1890–95; allegedly from Hausa jūjū “fetish,” from French joujou “toy, plaything”

Example Sentences

She says the room is filled with the good juju of champions her grandfather groomed there when this was his house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

But no matter how much juju we employ, we keep missing—just high, just low, just right.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2025

It has a whole lot of bad juju associated with stealing it from a community nonprofit.

From Seattle Times • May 26, 2024

She joked during our Zoom call that I had good juju.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2023

It could be a mojo bag that rains money and gold, or it could be a juju bag that turns off the gravity in the room or makes it rain actual rain.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas