mojo
Americannoun
plural
mojos, mojoes-
an object, as an amulet or charm, that is believed to carry a magic spell.
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the art or practice of casting magic spells; magic.
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Informal.
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a seemingly magical personal charm, power, or influence over other people.
He’s always a hit with the ladies when he gets his mojo working.
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exceptional ability, good luck, success, etc..
It seems like our team has finally gotten its mojo back.
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exceptional energy or power.
Tracking back over the warm Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane regained its mojo and hit the Mississippi coast full force.
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noun
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an amulet, charm, or magic spell
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( as modifier )
ancient mojo spells
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the art of casting magic spells
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uncanny personal power or influence
Etymology
Origin of mojo
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; compare Gullah moco “witchcraft, magic,” probably akin to Fulani moco'o “medicine man”
Explanation
If you have good mojo, you’re popular, persuasive, and successful. It’s not a permanent thing, though. You could lose your mojo. It’s literally a magic charm bag, but these days you can have good mojo without all the baggage. In the U.S., the word mojo is commonly used to mean "magic" or even simply "control" or "power." If a musician makes a great new album after a couple of poorly reviewed releases, a critic could exclaim, "She's got her mojo back!" You could also admire a candidate running for the Senate, praising her political mojo. Originally, mojo referred to specific African American folk beliefs, from the Gullah word moco, "witchcraft." You’re getting some good vocabulary mojo right now.
Vocabulary lists containing mojo
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.
The nonstop plugging of “Marty Supreme” helped make it A24’s highest-grossing film of all time, earning more than $159 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
Some 61% of customers spend more at a terminal than a till, according to another provider of the technology, Vita Mojo.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
But the 2025 gross domestic box office performance of 2025 is $8.24 billion so far, according to Box Office Mojo External link — below last year’s $8.57 billion.
From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025
The animated sequel drew in $156 million in the U.S. and $400 million abroad, more than half of it coming from China, according to Box Office Mojo, a website that tracks revenue.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 1, 2025
Gaines could take the untied, undefeated 1972 Mojo state champions and play Lee’s worst team, and Gaines would lose.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
