mingle
Americanverb (used without object)
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mingles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mingled,
past participle, past
-
mingling
present participle
-
to become mixed, blended, or united.
The herbs and spices mingled to produce an exquisite odor that permeated the house.
-
to associate, mix, or interact in company with others, as at a social event.
At the party she mingled with some interesting people.
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to join or take part with others, as in activities or causes.
I used to like his blog, but he’s started to mingle with bigots.
verb (used with object)
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mingles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mingled,
past participle, past
-
mingling
present participle
-
to mix or combine; put together in a mixture; blend.
During much of history, noble families mingled their bloodlines and forged new alliances.
- Synonyms:
- intermix, intermingle, commingle
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to unite, join, or conjoin.
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to associate in company.
a hostess who mingles diplomats with executives.
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to form by mixing; compound; concoct.
noun
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mingles, two or more single, unrelated adults who live together.
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a social event at which people associate, mix, or interact with others.
The Chamber of Commerce hosted a mingle for the town's small business owners to kick off their Buy Local campaign.
verb
-
to mix or cause to mix
-
to come into close association
Synonym Usage
See mix.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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minglesimple
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minglessimple
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have mingledperfect
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has mingledperfect
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am minglingprogressive
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are minglingprogressive
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is minglingprogressive
-
have been minglingperfect progressive
-
has been minglingperfect progressive
Past
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mingledsimple
-
had mingledperfect
-
was minglingprogressive
-
were minglingprogressive
-
had been minglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mingle
First recorded in 1425–75; Late Middle English menglen, frequentative of meng(en) “to mix,” Old English mengan; cognate with Dutch, German mengen ) + -(e)len; see origin at -le
Explanation
When things mingle, that means they mix together while still retaining their individual qualities. At a club you may hear laughter that seems to mingle with the sound of the band playing in the background. Mingle often describes abstract things, like smells or tastes or feelings. The look on your face may mingle compassion and horror when you taste your brother’s attempt at making Key Lime Pie. Mingle can also describe what you do at a social gathering when you move around a lot and talk to many different people. If you’re an outgoing person, at a party you probably like to mingle and talk to friends and also chat with new people.
Vocabulary lists containing mingle
Bless Me, Ultima
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Let's Go Caroling, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Everything has a chance to mingle before the soup gets diluted.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
A large vehicle-free zone was created over the course of the festival, allowing the crowds to mingle, enjoy street performances and, on a number of occasions, break into impromptu sing-alongs.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
A few seconds later, Dave Winfield joined the trio for a picture before Baker and his wife began to mingle with other Hall of Famers and guests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I’m gonna go mingle a little bit, just because I’m in VIP,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Yet even so, they appeared to mingle with others of far greater wealth, and no one took offense.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos mingles with other guests including U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The chicken, shredded tender, mingles with spaghetti broken into thirds, while cream-of-mushroom soup pulls everything into a glossy, velvety tangle.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
This was one of those highly orchestrated campaign stops where the president mingles with voters.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2024
In Kentucky, Silver Charm’s daily routine is simple: He poses for tour group photos and mingles with neighbors in adjoining paddocks after being let out into his football field-sized paddock early in the morning.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2024
A vault of stars hangs overhead; the collective breath of the cadets mingles slowly, nightmarishly above the courtyard.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Entertainment and business figures such as actor Alfre Woodard and lawyer Skip Brittenham mingled with prominent L.A. artists, including Ed Moses, Chris Burden and Lita Albuquerque.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
But on Wednesday, as the clink of bottles mingled with chatter from customers, some armed with automatic weapons, the owners were defiant.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
It is variegated with mingled, microtonal refractions from the window and the mirror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The steady pulsing of milking machines mingled with a thumping musical beat as McAfee marched down the rows, pointing to their light pink udders.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Double-barreled booms and laughter mingled with smells of mustard and onions and barbecue and gunsmoke.
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
There his life was devoid of high school hallmarks such as mingling and dating women, dances, and learning about the world through pop culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Cells with greater compartment mingling tended to have lower overall levels of gene activity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
That's when it felt more like a World Cup with supporters from different countries mingling together with a vibrant fan fest at the heart of downtown Atlanta.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Fans sit on plastic chairs arranged on the sandy floor, their chatter mingling with the hum of a worn-out generator.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
The mother and daughters move like oil through the clear dark fluid of this crowd, mingling and then coming back to itself.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
