mix somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb ( see also ↑ mix )
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.