M. J. McClary
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If the idea of a carbonated bevvy flavored with gentian root makes you thirsty to wet your whistle, then you’ve got some moxie, friend! Lowercase moxie—which today is a synonym of both nerve and verve—originated as uppercase Moxie, as in Moxie Nerve Food, a patent medicine and tonic invented by Dr. Augustin Thompson and sold in New England in the 1870s. Within a decade, when it was clear his drink wasn’t really medicinal, he carbonated Moxie and marketed it as a kind of 19th-century energy drink with a “delicious blend of the bitter and the sweet.” The soft drink and its advertising slogans (among them Make Mine Moxie!) eventually caught on around the country. The beverage was even a favorite of Charlotte’s Web author E. B. White, who wrote, “Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path to the good life.” The semantic jump from “a drink that gives you energy” to “energy” itself is as natural as a good advertising campaign. By 1930, moxie had acquired its earliest modern sense referring to vim and pep.
Examples of moxie in a Sentence
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Brunson, whose father Rick was on the Knicks during their 1999 Finals run and is now an assistant coach with the team, is a stand-in for the outer-borough striver, underestimated at first glance, but blessed with moxie.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 14 June 2026
And while Canada has the moxie to get out of their group, the round of 16 will present formidable opponents.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Welch’s Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Crisp Apple Juice Cocktail A mocktail with moxie!
—Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for moxie
Cite this Entry
“Moxie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moxie. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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