What does cojones mean?
Cojones is a noun borrowed from Spanish, where it literally means testicles, that entered English as a colorful way to denote courage, boldness, or nerve. In everyday usage it appears almost exclusively in its figurative sense: someone with cojones is willing to take risks, stand up to authority, or act decisively under pressure. The word carries an informal, even slightly vulgar register, yet its vividness has made it popular in sports commentary, business writing, and political journalism, often precisely because blander synonyms like 'courage' lack its edge. Grammatically it functions as a plural noun in English ('it took cojones to say that'), and it is typically used with verbs such as have, show, or need. Because of its anatomical origin, speakers should be mindful of context; it suits casual conversation and punchy prose far better than formal documents. Its borrowing reflects English's long habit of adopting foreign words when they fill an expressive gap.
nounCourage, boldness, or nerve, especially in the face of difficulty or danger; guts. Originally a vulgar Spanish term literally meaning 'testicles', it is borrowed into English chiefly in its figurative sense.
- Courage, boldness, or nerve; the willingness to take risks or face danger head-on (figurative use).
"It took real cojones for her to confront the board and demand accountability."
"You'd need serious cojones to quit a stable job and start over at forty."
"The young pitcher had the cojones to throw a fastball right past the league's best hitter."
The word exists only in plural form in both Spanish and its English borrowing; there is no singular 'cojon' in standard English usage. It takes plural agreement or functions as a mass noun ('that took some real cojones').
"It takes cojones to admit you were wrong in public."
English borrowed this word straight from Spanish slang for testicles — and kept only the figurative meaning of raw courage, making 'cojones' one of the few loanwords that's technically anatomical but almost always means bravery.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cojones
Cojones comes directly from Spanish, where it is the plural of cojón, meaning testicle. The Spanish word traces back through Vulgar Latin to classical Latin coleus (or culeus), a term denoting a leather bag or sack, which was applied to the scrotum. English adopted the word in the twentieth century, primarily through American English influenced by Mexican and broader Latin American Spanish, keeping its figurative sense of daring rather than its literal anatomy.
How cojones is actually used
Informal to vulgar register; while widely understood and frequently used in journalism and casual speech for its punchiness, it derives from a crude anatomical term and may be inappropriate in formal writing or polite company. It is grammatically a Spanish plural noun but is treated in English as an uncountable or plural mass noun ('real cojones'). The term is masculine in connotation due to its literal origin, though it is applied to anyone displaying audacity.