mojo

1 of 2

noun (1)

mo·​jo ˈmō-(ˌ)jō How to pronounce mojo (audio)
plural mojos
1
: a magic spell, hex, or charm
A mojo, by the way, is a kind of magic charm; Elroi wears one around his neck …Edith Oliver
Ron told me he thought that someone had put a mojo on Jose—that he was hexed …Benson Deitz
… a cloth pouch worn on a string around the neck for holding mojos and small change.Shelby Foote
… a … Brazilian shaman who carries a mojo bagVideo Review
also : magic, hoodoo
In Cajun country, they call it mojo—magic as mysterious as it is spiritual. Sandra Lee
often used with the
… a kind of colorful magic known as the mojoHenry Louis Gates, Jr.
2
: a seemingly supernatural power, influence, or ability
Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black" lost its mojo in the third season, as the plots—many of them silly—petered out.Matthew Gilbert
Whether they have several hours or only a few minutes to work their mojo, filmmakers need to make the most of every moment.Jason Anderson
But Tennessee comes out on top with a defense that appears vastly improved the last couple weeks, boosting an offense that's found its mojo too.Ben Arthur

mojo

2 of 2

noun (2)

mo·​jo ˈmō-ˌhō How to pronounce mojo (audio)
plural mojos
: a sauce, marinade, or seasoning that is usually composed primarily of olive oil, garlic, citrus juice, and spices (such as black pepper and cumin)
… crisp beef shreds … served with the classic Cuban mojo, a sauce made with citrus fruits, garlic and olive oil …Alan Kellogg
… the Cuban mojo, made with crushed garlic, olive oil, maybe oregano, and citrus juice, most often bitter orange.Dan Nosowitz
The "Let it Marinade" collection has five mojos and sauces to help "take meat flavors" to a new "Cuban-inspired level."Stephen Fries
On the afternoon of Effe Café's first anniversary in a Cooper City gas station last month, lunch-rush customers ordered mojo pork sandwiches …Phillip Valys

Examples of mojo in a Sentence

Noun (1) He's been suffering from incredibly bad mojo lately. The team has lost its mojo. We need to get our mojos working again.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Hotline almost was willing to give Stanford a pass for its lack of mojo against JuJu but couldn’t overlook Colorado winning twice on the road and the Cardinal’s 27-game Pac-12 home win streak ending. Jeff Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 The foundation for the sandwich is the mojo, the pork marinade that sings with garlic and fresh cilantro, mint and bright citrus. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2023 The Buccaneers, meanwhile, found their late-season mojo, winning five of their last six contests to recapture the NFC South title. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 Buffalo had its mojo working at that point, having scored 14 fourth-quarter points on a 96-yard punt return and an eight-play, 74-yard touchdown drive to take the 21-14 lead. Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024 Will this level of great PR be enough to give Marvel its mojo back? Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024 The dollar depreciated fast vis-à-vis gold, as anticipated, but curiously that was the moment the dollar regained its mojo. Yanis Varoufakis, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2024 With the exception of the Patriots — who had special mojo and good luck — the dynasty teams of the past have had several Hall of Fame players for years. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2024 The big draws this coming month are Remnant II, the sequel to the wildly popular co-op shooter Remnant: From The Ashes, and Far Cry 6, Ubisoft’s latest in their wacky first-person shooter franchise (that badly needs some kind of reboot to find its mojo again). Erik Kain, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mojo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably of African origin; akin to Fulani moco'o medicine man

Noun (2)

borrowed from Cuban Spanish, noun derivative of Spanish mojar "to make wet, moisten," going back to Vulgar Latin *molliāre — more at moil entry 1

Note: Attestations of Spanish mojo in approximately the sense of the definition go back to at least the early twentieth century, to judge from the following passage: "Un puerco ahumado con hojas de guayaba, con plátano verde y mojo de naranja agria, es el alimento predilecto del guajiro criollo." (A. Pompeyo, "Protesta de un cuerdo," Cuba y América, revista illustrada, vol. 14, no. 1, January 3, 1904, p. 17; "A hog cooked [literally, smoked] with guava leaves, green plantain and mojo of sour orange is the favorite dish of the native-born countryman.") The sauce is described earlier without inclusion of citrus in an account of Cuba by the American Samuel Hazard: "El aporreado is made of half raw meat, dressed with water, vinegar, salt, etc., which operation is known as perdigar (or stewing in an earthen pan); then mashed and stirred together it is fried slightly in a sauce (mojo) of lard, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and peppers" (Cuba with Pen and Pencil, Hartford CT, 1871, pp. 537-38). A similar description can be found in the anonymous cookbook El cocinero de los enfermos, convalecientes y desganados (Havana, 1862): "… el mojo, que es una fritura de tomates, cebollas, ajíes dulces con manteca y sal" (p. 41; "mojo, which is a fried mix of tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers with lard and salt"). See also mojito.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mojo was in 1923

Dictionary Entries Near mojo

Cite this Entry

“Mojo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mojo. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mojo

noun
mo·​jo ˈmō-jō How to pronounce mojo (audio)
plural mojoes or mojos
: a magic spell, hex, or charm
also : magical power
Etymology

Noun

probably of African origin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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