mix-up
noun
a confused state of things; muddle; tangle.
mix-up
American
[miks-uhp]
/ ˈmɪksˌʌp /
noun
-
mix-ups
plural
-
a confused state of things; muddle; tangle.
-
a fight.
mix-up
British
noun
-
a confused condition or situation
-
informal a fight
verb
-
to make into a mixture
to mix up ingredients
-
to confuse or confound
Tom mixes John up with Bill
-
(often passive) to put (someone) into a state of confusion
I'm all mixed up
-
to involve (in an activity or group, esp one that is illegal)
why did you get mixed up in that drugs racket?
-
informal to fight
mix up
Idioms
-
Confuse, confound, as in His explanation just mixed me up even more , or I always mix up the twins . [c. 1800]
-
Involve or implicate. This usage is usually put in the passive, as in He got mixed up with the wrong crowd . [Mid-1800s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mix-up
First recorded in 1835–45; noun use of verb phrase mix up
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:
When Lawrence was run out in a mix-up with Cox, England were 120-5 and teetering.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Lawyers for Australian mushroom murderer Erin Patterson say her conviction was undermined by a "catastrophic" mix-up that led to the jury staying at the same hotel as prosecutors and a key witness.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Some traders are counting on a mix-up by certain investors between the two companies, which would benefit Virgin Galactic.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
United Airlines helped re-route Calderón to Nicaragua — and the airline did bump up his seat to first class to make up for the mix-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
He told her that there had been a mix-up and that we were staying.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
You can mix up the kinds of stocks you own: technology versus consumer goods, for example, or overseas versus U.S. companies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
Stier wanted there to be six stand-up sets, mirroring other comedy shows like Shannon Cloud’s, but he wanted to mix up the flow with breaks between the sets.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
It may omit relevant information while summarizing, mix up who is speaking and misinterpret context—such as missing nonverbal cues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
"The responsible culprits tried to mix up substandard net with qualified nets so as to cheat inspection and law enforcement agencies," Lee said, calling the suspects "evil".
From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 2025
We go inside after that and decorate our sugar skulls with glitter Fina brought and brightly colored icing that Mom helps us mix up.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Yet embarrassing discoveries, personal data mix-ups and even cybersecurity issues abound, so you should understand the risks—and ways to stay safe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
The mix-ups were the result of responding to a wildfire of unprecedented scale, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2025
Mr Zuckerberg, who specialises in bankruptcy law, started a website to track mix-ups over his name, including the time he was inadvertently sued by the state of Washington for abuse.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025
From that starting point, despite his many successes, there has been a steady pileup of scatterbrained gaffes and mix-ups.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2024
Some people even misspelled her job title as “Crypt Analyst,” which led to mix-ups.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
