I. mix 1 S2 W3 /mɪks/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ mix , ↑ mixer , ↑ mixture ; verb : ↑ mix ; adjective : ↑ mixed ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: mixte 'mixed' (13-17 centuries) , from Latin mixtus , past participle of miscere 'to mix' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] if you mix two or more substances or if they mix, they combine to become a single substance, and they cannot be easily separated:
Oil and water don’t mix.
mix (something) with something
Shake the bottle well so that the oil mixes with the vinegar.
The powder is mixed with cold water to form a paste.
Mix the soured cream with ketchup.
mix something together
First mix the butter and sugar together, then add the milk.
mix something in
Mix in 75 g of butter.
mix something into something
Mix the herbs into the sauce.
2 . [transitive] to combine two or more different activities, ideas, groups of things etc:
Their musical style mixes elements of Eastern culture and Western pop.
mix something with something
His books mix historical fact with fantasy.
I don’t like to mix business with pleasure (=combine business and social activities at the same time) .
3 . [intransitive] to meet, talk, and spend time with other people, especially people you do not know very well SYN socialize
mix with
Charlie doesn’t mix well with the other children.
4 . not mix if two different ideas, activities etc do not mix, there are problems when they are combined:
Smoking and babies don’t mix.
5 . [transitive] ( also mix up ) to prepare something, especially food or drink, by mixing things together:
Will you mix us some martinis, Bill?
6 . mix and match to choose to put different things together from a range of possibilities:
They can mix and match their uniform, wearing either a sweatshirt or blouse with trousers or a skirt.
7 . [transitive] technical to control the balance of sounds in a record or film
8 . mix it (up) informal to get involved in a fight with someone:
You don’t want to mix it with him. He’s been drinking since noon.
mix somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb
1 . to make the mistake of thinking that someone or something is another person or thing SYN confuse , muddle up
mix somebody/something ↔ up with
I always mix him up with his brother. They look so much alike.
I think you might be mixing up Wetherall and Newton.
I must have got the times mixed up.
2 . to change the way things have been arranged, often by mistake, so that they are no longer in the same order:
My papers got all mixed up.
Books on Scottish history were mixed up with books on volcanoes.
3 . to make someone feel confused:
They kept trying to mix me up.
4 . to prepare something by mixing things together:
It was hard work mixing up four tonnes of cement.
⇨ ↑ mixed up , ↑ mix-up
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THESAURUS
■ to mix foods, liquids etc
▪ mix to put different substances or liquids together so that they can no longer be separated:
Mix yellow and blue paint to make green.
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This cake is really easy – you just mix everything together in the bowl.
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Concrete is made by mixing gravel with sand, cement, and water.
▪ combine to mix things together so that they form a single substance. Combine is more formal than mix :
Combine the flour and the eggs.
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Steel is produced by combining iron with carbon.
▪ stir to move a spoon or stick around in a liquid, a pan etc, especially when you are mixing things together:
Keep stirring until the sauce becomes thicker.
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Stir the sugar into the warm milk.
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Stir the paint before you use it.
▪ blend to mix together soft or liquid substances to form a single smooth substance:
Blend the yogurt with fresh fruit for a great drink.
▪ beat to mix food together quickly and thoroughly using a fork or kitchen tool – used especially about eggs:
Beat the eggs and add them to the milk and flour.
▪ whisk to mix foods that are soft or liquid very quickly so that air is mixed in, using a fork or special tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
▪ dilute to mix a liquid with water in order to make it weaker:
Dilute the bleach with two parts water to one part bleach.
■ to mix styles, ideas, or other things
▪ mix to put different styles, ideas, or other things together:
His music mixes jazz and classical styles.
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The different categories of books were all mixed together.
▪ combine to mix different styles, ideas, or other things, so that they work together or become a single thing:
Diets are most effective when they are combined with exercise.
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He combines Greek philosophy with Christian teachings.
▪ blend to combine parts of different things together, especially in a successful and effective way:
The teaching course blends theory and practice in the classroom.
▪ fuse to combine different styles in order to form a new style:
The band fuses African rhythms with traditional Celtic music.
▪ jumble to mix things together in an untidy way, so that they are not in any order:
The jigsaw pieces were all jumbled together in the box.
II. mix 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ mix , ↑ mixer , ↑ mixture ; verb : ↑ mix ; adjective : ↑ mixed ]
1 . [singular] the particular combination of things or people in a group or thing
mix of
a good mix of people
We felt that between us we had the right mix of skills.
a complicated mix of colours and textures
the region’s rich ethnic mix (=people of different races)
2 . [uncountable and countable] a combination of substances that you mix together to make something such as a cake SYN mixture
cake/soup etc mix
Add water to the cake mix and bake at 375°F.
3 . [countable] a particular arrangement of sounds, voices, or different pieces of music used on a ↑ pop record:
the dance mix
• • •
THESAURUS
■ preparing food
▪ grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
▪ melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
▪ sieve British English , sift American English to put flour or other powders through a ↑ sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces) :
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
▪ chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
▪ season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
▪ crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
▪ mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
▪ beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
▪ stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
▪ fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
▪ knead to press ↑ dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
▪ drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
▪ let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
▪ serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
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Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.