mix up

1 of 2

verb

mixed up; mixing up; mixes up

transitive verb

1

: to mistakenly think that (someone or something) is someone or something else : confuse

mixed the twins up

mixed up the times for the meetings

2

: to mistakenly put (something) in a place where something else should be

mixed up the two files

3

: to cause (someone) to be involved in a usually dangerous or improper activity

—usually used as (be/get) mixed up in

got mixed up in an illegal scheme

4

: to cause (someone) to become involved with usually bad or dangerous people

mix-up

2 of 2

noun

ˈmiks-ˌəp 

1

: a state or instance of confusion

a mix-up in our hotel reservations

2

: mixture

3

: conflict, fight

Synonyms of mix up

Noun

• mistake
• confusion
• foul-up

Examples of mix up in a Sentence

Noun

there was a mix-up at the airport and our luggage was accidentally sent to Ohio

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Aleksi would probably not realize if he got mixed up with shady people. —Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 24 May 2026

The Accademia del Tiramisu traces the dessert’s history to an 1800s brothel, where legend is a resourceful madame mixed up an aphrodisiac confection for her clients. —Erica Firpo, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2026

Noun

And finally… Neymar’s World Cup reprieve should cool his jets after a ridiculous mix-up left him spitting feathers over the weekend. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 19 May 2026

In 2010, Gosling appeared to pin the mix-up about his weight gain for the movie on a lack of communication before filming started. —Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mix up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

mix-up

noun

ˈmik-ˌsəp

: an instance of confusion