juju

1 of 2

noun (1)

ju·​ju ˈjü-(ˌ)jü How to pronounce juju (audio)
1
: a fetish, charm, or amulet of West African peoples
2
: the magic attributed to or associated with jujus

juju

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a style of West African music that is characterized by a rapid beat, the use of percussion instruments, and vocal harmonies

Examples of juju in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Have the world-weary shamus and the former Aztec capital lost their noir juju? Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025 Put on all your lucky clothes, manifest your heart out, and run through all the habits that you’re convinced bring you good juju. Grace McCarty, SELF, 28 Dec. 2024 But for the young Nigerian women victimized by a human trafficker in 2016, their belief in the juju religion was a controlling force. Lisa Henricksson, airmail.news, 19 Oct. 2024 White sage incense sticks and bath salts dispel bad juju to reset the mood. Talia Abbas, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024 Sacrifice a Hot ’n’ Ready halfway between second and third base in Comerica Park in hopes of breaking up the bad juju there? Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 17 June 2024 Seventies California was loaded with bad juju, from the Zodiac Killer to the Patty Hearst kidnapping to Jim Jones. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2023 The bad juju vibes for the Red Sox at Tropicana Field continued Tuesday evening. Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2023 Guy denies that there’s bad juju in the locker room. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

of W. African origin; akin to the source of Hausa jùju fetish

Noun (2)

Yoruba jújù

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of juju was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Juju.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juju. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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