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:
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
“I am indeed,” I reply, before gently informing them of the mix-up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
When asked to comment on the apparent mix-up, a Groq spokesperson referred to the company’s blog post, which they said “includes the factual terms of the agreement.”
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 24, 2025
“I understand there’s some kind of mix-up here?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The only thing that could make this chock-a-block calendar better would be if they could mix up some of these venues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 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
"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
Hamas suggested that there may have been a mix up in the aftermath of the Israeli bombardment.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
“I never saw fruit all mix up together like this.”
From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles
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.
