blend

American  

[blend] / blɛnd /

verb (used with object)

• blends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blended,
  past participle,  past
• blent,
  past participle,  past
• blending
  present participle

1. to mix smoothly and inseparably together.

   to blend the ingredients in a recipe.

   Synonyms:

   commingle, mingle, compound, unite, amalgamate, combine

   Antonyms:

   separate

2. to mix (various sorts or grades) in order to obtain a particular kind or quality.

   Blend a little red paint with the blue paint.

3. to prepare by such mixture.

   This tea is blended by mixing chamomile with pekoe.

4. Phonetics. to pronounce (an utterance) as a combined sequence of sounds.

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verb (used without object)

• blends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blended,
  past participle,  past
• blent,
  past participle,  past
• blending
  present participle

1. to mix or intermingle smoothly and inseparably.

   I can't get the eggs and cream to blend.

   Synonyms:

   coalesce, unite, amalgamate, combine, commingle, mingle

   Antonyms:

   separate

2. to fit or relate harmoniously; accord; go.

   The brown sofa did not blend with the purple wall.

3. to have no perceptible separation.

   Sea and sky seemed to blend.

noun

• blends
  plural

1. an act or manner of blending.

   tea of our own blend.

   Synonyms:

   amalgamation, combination

2. a mixture or kind produced by blending.

   a special blend of rye and wheat flours.

   Synonyms:

   amalgamation, combination

3. Linguistics. a word made by putting together parts of other words, as motel, made from motor and hotel, brunch, from breakfast and lunch, or guesstimate, from guess and estimate.

4. Phonetics. a sequence of two or more consonant sounds within a syllable, as the bl in blend; consonant cluster.

verb phrase

1. blend in to escape attention by looking or acting like other members of a group or like the surrounding environment: salamanders that blend in with mossy surfaces.

   tourists who try to blend in with the locals;

   salamanders that blend in with mossy surfaces.

blend British  

/ blɛnd /

verb

1. to mix or mingle (components) together thoroughly

2. (tr) to mix (different grades or varieties of tea, whisky, tobacco, etc) to produce a particular flavour, consistency, etc

3. (intr) to look good together; harmonize

4. (intr) (esp of colours) to shade imperceptibly into each other

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noun

1. a mixture or type produced by blending

2. the act of blending

3. Also called: portmanteau word. a word formed by joining together the beginning and the end of two other words

   "brunch" is a blend of "breakfast" and "lunch"

Usage

What is a basic definition of blend? Blend means to mix together so thoroughly that things become inseparable. Blend is also the mixture made through this act. Blend can mean to harmonize or go well together. Blend has a few other senses as a verb and noun. When two or more things are blended together, they have been combined so completely that it is impossible to separate them back out again. For example, you blend cocoa powder with milk to make chocolate milk. Turning that chocolate milk back into milk and cocoa powder is not going to happen. This sense of blend is a synonym of the word mix, although blend usually means to mix something especially thoroughly. Something, such as a specialized kitchen appliance, that blends things is called a blender.

• Real-life examples: Smoothies are made by blending fruit with milk or yogurt. Different teas are blended together to make different flavors. The romantic comedy genre of movies blends the genres of romance and comedy together.
• Used in a sentence: She made a delicious banana smoothie by blending milk with bananas. 

Blend is used in this same sense a noun to refer to a mixture created by blending things together, literally or figuratively.

• Real-life examples: Starbucks offers many blends of coffee. There are many different blends of wine, such as Champagne and Chianti.
• Used in a sentence: The book was an odd blend of horror and history. 

Blend is also used as a verb to mean to go well together or harmonize. This sense usually refers to colors, such as a green chair blending with a green wall. This sense is also commonly phrased as “blend in” such as a chameleon turning brown to blend in with a tree or log. When related to harmony, blend often refers to how voices and instruments create a combined tone.

• Real-life examples: Usually, people like to get furniture that blends, or has a similar color or pattern, with wallpaper or carpeting because it makes a room look nicer. A person may prefer socks that blend with their pants. Most people try to blend in with the people around them rather than stick out and appear strange or different. A chorus practices hard to ensure their voices blend well.
• Used in a sentence: We tried to find a couch that blends with the color of our living room carpet.

Synonym Usage

See mix.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reblend
  verb
• nonblended
  adjective
• nonblending
  adjective
• unblended
  adjective
• well-blended
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• blends
  plural

Participles

• blending
  present
• blended
  past
• blent
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• blend
  simple
• blends
  simple
• have blended
  perfect
• have blent
  perfect
• has blended
  perfect
• has blent
  perfect
• am blending
  progressive
• are blending
  progressive
• is blending
  progressive
• have been blending
  perfect progressive
• has been blending
  perfect progressive

Past

• blended
  simple
• blent
  simple
• had blended
  perfect
• had blent
  perfect
• was blending
  progressive
• were blending
  progressive
• had been blending
  perfect progressive

Future

• will blend
  simple
• will have blended
  perfect
• will have blent
  perfect
• will be blending
  progressive
• will have been blending
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of blend

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English blenden (the first e not satisfactorily explained) “to mix”; akin to Old English blandan “to mix”; cognate with or partially derived from the Old Norse verb blanda (from the present stem blend- ), Old High German blantan “to mix”

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Explanation

If you blend red and blue, you get purple. To blend is to mix together thoroughly. If you put this color in your hair, you'll blend with the people at a punk rock concert! Used as a noun, the word blend means the thing you mixed together or the act of mixing something together. Purple is a blend of red and blue. When you see this word, picture the blender on your kitchen counter. If you use it to give ice cream, fruit and fruit juice a blend, it'll mix things together well to make a very tasty blend.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blend blends blended blent blending

Octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish possess some of the most sophisticated nervous systems in the animal kingdom, giving them remarkable abilities such as solving problems and rapidly changing their appearance to blend into their surroundings.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Yet Mr. Sun’s approach is also singular for its blend of seriousness and whimsy, its combination of complicated structures and memorable melodies, and its commitment to both jazz tradition and sonic innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The Corona Centennial High football team has an interesting blend of players spelling their similar first names differently, leaving coach Matt Logan to be the referee as to which parents got the spelling correct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

NOS was a sensation - attracting a youthful congregation of up to 600 people with an innovative blend of cutting-edge music, video, prayer, and dancing.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

“People see what they want to see. I’m sure this place has had more than its share of unusual patrons with the circus in town. That makes it easier for us to blend in.”

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Nestled amongst trees on the edge of green-belt land, the development's soft purple and pink brickwork blends high-density housing into an area of natural beauty.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

In Denmark, history blends seamlessly with national identity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Still, he blends it all into his own vision so it doesn’t feel derivative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Inside, the modern farmhouse blends Dewan and Kazee’s contrasting design tastes, pairing sleek contemporary elements with warmer and more personal touches.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

It stands out like a beacon, but also somehow blends in perfectly.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

The blended vegetables thicken the broth, while the rest keep enough texture to remind you what you’re eating.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Alice Avelar, an Illinois insurance specialist, said she spends hours each week scouring the internet for recipes that can accommodate a variety of needs in her big, blended family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

His soulful voice echoed around the stadium, demonstrating his range, as he blended homegrown Punjabi music with rap and hip-hop.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Herring is blended into a gruel and slid “down the hatch” three times a day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

The toad, he saw, blended in totally with the texture and shade of the ever-present dust.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

The church is a “serious house on serious earth ... In whose blent air all our compulsions meet, are recognised, and robed as destinies,” he writes.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 17, 2015

In whose blent air all our compulsions meet, Are recognized, and robed as destinies.

From Time Magazine Archive

A soft hope blent with my sorrow that soon I should dare to drop a kiss on that brow of rock, and on those lips so sternly sealed beneath it: but not yet.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Presently a voice blent with the rich tones of the instrument; it was a lady who sang, and very sweet her notes were.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

A calm, subdued triumph, blent with a longing earnestness, marked his enunciation of the last glorious verses of that chapter.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

De Barbeyrac sees it as "a game about passing something on", one that older players will want to share with their children, blending nostalgia for one generation with discovery for another.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

The country plans to grow more sugar cane to make ethanol, while also blending more palm-oil-derived biodiesel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Inside, the residence is equally impressive, blending luxury finishes with warm architectural details.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Chaplin was a master of blending political and social commentary with broad comedy.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

It all went around in my head for a few weeks: the pain, the risks, the uncertainty, and the awful, enticing thought of blending in.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

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Related Words

• amalgam
• brew
• combination
• concoction
• fusion
• mixture
• synthesis

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