moxie

noun

mox·​ie ˈmäk-sē 

1

: energy, pep

woke up full of moxie

2

: courage, determination

it takes … moxie to pull up roots and go to a land where the culture and probably the language are totally foreign

—M. J. McClary

3

: know-how

was impressed with his musical moxie and hired him as a solo

Did you know?

"Hot roasted peanuts! Fresh popcorn! Ice-cold Moxie!" You might have heard such a snack vendor's cry at a baseball game—if you attended it in the early 1900s. In its heyday, some claim that the soft drink named Moxie outsold Coca-Cola. The beverage was a favorite of American writer E. B. White, who wrote, "Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path to the good life. This was known in the second century before Christ and is a boon to me today." In quick time, moxie had become a slang term for nerve and verve, perhaps because some people thought the drink was a tonic that could cure virtually any ill and bring vim back to even the most lethargic individual.

Synonyms

• chops
• experience
• expertise
• know-how
• proficiency
• savvy
• skills

Examples of moxie in a Sentence

He showed a lot of moxie in questioning the policy.

it was old-fashioned military moxie that got medical supplies to the disaster site in record time

Recent Examples on the Web

Warren Beatty’s vision of a comic strip on film comes in paint box-bright colors with nicely irreverent dialogue, a gaggle of crisp performances and one with million-dollar moxie. —Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024

Later, the two caught up with a notable Fijian pro surfer who had nothing but respect for the octogenarian’s moxie. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 14 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from Moxie, a trademark for a soft drink

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1