mixer

American  

[mik-ser] / ˈmɪk sər /

noun

1. a person or thing that mixes.

2. a person, with reference to sociability.

   She's a good mixer to have at a large party.

3. a kitchen utensil or an electrical appliance having one or more beaters and used in mixing, beating, or blending foods.

4. Also a beverage, as ginger ale, fruit juice, or soda water that can be combined with liquor to produce a mixed drink, especially a highball.

5. Audio. an electronic device for blending, fading, substitution, etc., of sounds from various sources, as from microphones or separately recorded soundtracks, for broadcast or recording.

6. Radio and Television, Recording. a technician who operates a mixer in a studio.

7. the person responsible for the original recording of a movie soundtrack.

8. a social event, as a party or dance, where people can meet informally.

9. mixing faucet.

10. Metallurgy. a container for blending and storing molten pig iron from several blast furnaces.

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mixer British  

/ ˈmɪksə /

noun

1. a person or thing that mixes

2. informal

   1. a person considered in relation to his ability to mix socially

   2. a person who creates trouble for others

3. a kitchen appliance, usually electrical, used for mixing foods, etc

4. a drink such as ginger ale, fruit juice, etc, used in preparing cocktails

5. electronics a device in which two or more input signals are combined to give a single output signal

6. short for sound mixer vision mixer

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Etymology

Origin of mixer

First recorded in 1605–15; mix + -er ¹

Explanation

A mixer is a device used for blending things together, like a cement mixer or the countertop mixer you use when you bake cookies. The word mixer is used for many different things, but they all have some element of combining or blending something together. When a social event is described as a mixer, it's meant to bring diverse groups together, giving them the opportunity to meet people they might otherwise not cross paths with. And a DJ's mixer is an electronic device that's used to combine audio signals so they can create smooth transitions from one song to the next.

Example Sentences

And Molson Coors has been moving into nonalcoholic drinks such as ZOA Energy and a premium mixer brand called Fever-Tree.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 7, 2026

North Korea’s Lazarus Group External link, among the most sophisticated crypto-enabled criminal organizations in the world, relied heavily on the DeFi mixer Tornado Cash to launder funds.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Say you’re mingling at a cocktail party, networking event, singles mixer or church reception.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

The hire company received a report from the tracker on 7 December, locating the mixer in a garage at Pugh's home, she said.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

The drum, which Gey called the “whirligig,” turned like a cement mixer twenty-four hours a day, rotating so slowly it made only two full turns an hour, sometimes less.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• blender
• food processor