mixtape
Americannoun
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a recording on a cassette tape, CD, or digital medium, consisting of music or songs selected by a single person.
My boyfriend made me the greatest mixtape for my birthday.
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such a recording consisting of music or songs personally selected by the artist, usually a hip-hop artist.
His mixtape from a live performance helped propel him to stardom.
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a recording consisting of blended or recombined tracks, or a series of tracks with smooth transitions, especially one created by a DJ.
Usage
What does mixtape mean? Unlike an official album, a mixtape is a more casual assortment of songs, organized by a listener or created by an artist.
Etymology
Origin of mixtape
Explanation
A mixtape is a compilation of recorded music from various sources. You may have given your friends a mixtape of your favorite songs for them to check out and enjoy. The original mixtapes were recorded on blank audio cassette tapes, and they were very personal, created by individuals to share with friends, family members, or romantic interests. Starting in the 1980s, mixtapes became a tool of DJs, and they weren't necessarily recorded on cassette tapes. In the 2000s, hip-hop artists began releasing free or unofficial projects that they called mixtapes, which often featured raw or experimental styles. Today, a lot of music is digitally recorded, so artists may release mixtapes on digital platforms, and music fans often compile and share playlists featuring their favorite artists.
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.
The first iteration of the project was as a mixtape.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Each time I tune in—which is every day now—it feels as if someone cooler than me is handing me a mixtape made with care, exactly how finding new music should feel.
From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026
It’s also full of samples from the likes of Underworld, Basement Jaxx and Panic! at the Disco — one reason, perhaps, the singer, 24, describes it as a mixtape rather than an album.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
"He would have got on that bus and listened to the mixtape after a night out or going to some gigs or something like that," he said.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025
She’s nerve-racked, because of the waitress and the mixtape and her own certainty that things are always about to go terribly wrong.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
