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

To serve a crowd, mix up a concentrate with plenty of tangy lime juice, Worcestershire, and Cholula for a jolt of heat. —Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 June 2026

The ultimate outcome, then, was that, by the end of the seventies, Margaret Thatcher had been able to bring the various discontents mixed up in that into a kind of big-tent project within a mainstream center-right party. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 12 June 2026

Noun

Revolving around an airport baggage mix-up, Satrapi also starred in the film opposite Ripa. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 June 2026

Oklahoma’s News 4 reports that as of Monday, police were still searching for that couple, Cortez Davis and Jessica Ellis, due to their alleged response to the order mix-up. —Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 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