hodgepodge

noun

hodge·​podge ˈhäj-ˌpäj 

: a heterogeneous mixture : jumble

a hodgepodge of styles

Synonyms

• jumble
• medley
• variety
• assortment
• collage
• mishmash

Examples of hodgepodge in a Sentence

the exhibit was a hodgepodge of mediocre art, bad art, and really bad art

Recent Examples on the Web

Last week, dining out was a hodgepodge of family time, work meetings and checking out a refreshed space on Lake Minnetonka for next year’s patio guide. —Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 12 June 2025

The streets are a hodgepodge of old industrial buildings, natural-wine bars, empty lots, boutique gyms, and wobbly-looking houses in the midst of being either fixed up or torn down. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 11 June 2025

Amid this hodgepodge of state and federal legislation, pushback against these laws are also escalating. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

While still relying on his memories and detailed sketches, Post’s 1666 painting is a hodgepodge of different scenes arranged together on one canvas. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of hotchpotch

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hodgepodge

• fuselage
• auge
• hodge
• podge
• dislodge

Kids Definition

hodgepodge

noun

hodge·​podge ˈhäj-ˌpäj 

: a confused mixture : jumble

Etymology

an altered form of hotchpotch, from Middle English hochepot "mixed stew," derived from early French hochepot (same meaning), from hochier "to shake" and pot "pot, container"

Word Origin

Hodgepodge and its older form hotchpotch are part of a group of words that rhyme all by themselves. Hobnob and willy-nilly are others. In the case of hodgepodge and hotchpotch, the rhyme is not an accident. These words came to English from early French in the form hochepot. The spelling was changed to make the second half of the word rhyme with the first. In French hochepot was a stew of many foods cooked together in a pot. Perhaps the pot was shaken instead of stirred since hochepot was formed from hochier, meaning "to shake," and pot, which had the same meaning in early French as it does in English now. Before long hotchpotch and hodgepodge were used not just for a mixture of foods cooking in a pot but for any mixture of different things.

Legal Definition

Hodge Podge

noun

ˈhäj-ˌpäj

: main pot