mix up

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mix up (third-person singular simple present mixes up, present participle mixing up, simple past and past participle mixed up)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To mix or blend thoroughly and completely.

   She mixed up peat moss, humus, and compost to make potting soil.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To combine thoroughly.

   All the smells of the food had mixed up together.

3. (transitive, idiomatic) To prepare something from ingredients that are mixed.

   Troponym: whip up

   She mixed up a batch of her own potting soil.

4. (transitive, idiomatic) To confuse or reverse.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:confuse

   I always mix up Vermont and New Hampshire on a map.

   I always mix up Jack with Jake.

5. (transitive, usually passive voice, with with, often with be or get) To become involved with, especially socially or romantically.

   He got mixed up with a bad crowd.

   Then he got mixed up with an older woman.

   Now, he's mixed up with some half-baked religion.

   • 1972 March 14, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather, spoken by Sonny Corleone (James Caan), Paramount Pictures:

     Hey! What're you gonna do? Nice college boy, huh? Didn't want to get mixed up in the family business. Now you want to gun down a police captain. Why? 'Cause he slapped you in the face a little bit?

6. To shuffle.

   mix up this Rubik's cube

• in the mix
• mix it up

mix up (plural mix ups)

1. A mix, blend, or variety.

   Next time, let's ask a group with a different mix up.

2. (idiomatic) A confusion or reversal.

   I refuse to send them any more money until they fix this mix up.

• mix-up, mixup

• upmix