blender

IPA/ˈblendə(r)/
KK[blˈɛndɚ]IPA/ˈblendər/

blender — noun

  • blendersingular
  • blendersplural

1. a powered kitchen appliance with fast blades that cuts or mixes food until it be

1.nounA2
Definition

a powered kitchen appliance with fast blades that cuts or mixes food until it becomes smooth

Example

Felix poured the soup into the blender for a smoother texture.

pour something into the blender

Layla used the blender to crush ice for mango drinks.

use the blender to crush ice

Common collocations
  • blender blades
  • hand blender
  • use a blender
  • put something in the blender
Synonyms
  • mixer

    A mixer combines ingredients, but a blender usually uses blades to make them smoother.

  • liquidizer

    Mainly British and often used when the machine turns food into a liquid.

Grammar Patterns

use a blender

put something in the blender

Usage Note

Usually used for an electric kitchen tool. Common things put in a blender include fruit, soup, ice, and sauce.

2. someone in a trade, or the company they represent, that mixes selected materials

2.nounC1
Definition

someone in a trade, or the company they represent, that mixes selected materials to create a finished product

Example

The tea blender tested three leaf mixes before the new box went on sale.

tea blender

Our perfume blender adjusted the rose note until the scent felt softer.

perfume blender

Common collocations
  • tea blender
  • coffee blender
  • wine blender
  • master blender
Synonyms
  • compounder

    More technical and often used for chemicals or medicines rather than food or perfume.

  • mixer

    Broader and less tied to making a finished branded product.

Grammar Patterns

a blender of + product

work as a blender

Usage Note

Often used with a product noun before it, such as tea blender or perfume blender. It can refer to either the specialist or the business doing the work.

3. a person who brings unlike styles, ideas, or traditions together into one result

3.nounC1
Definition

a person who brings unlike styles, ideas, or traditions together into one result

Example

Critics praised the director as a blender of comedy and family drama.

a blender of + two styles

Amihan is a careful blender of folk songs and electronic beats.

Common collocations
  • a blender of cultures
  • a blender of styles
  • a blender of ideas
Synonyms
  • fusionist

    Often used when styles are mixed deliberately, especially in art, music, or food.

  • integrator

    More formal and often used for systems or ideas rather than artistic style.

Grammar Patterns

a blender of + styles

a blender of + ideas

Usage Note

Usually followed by of plus the styles or elements being joined. This sense is much more literary than senses 1 and 2.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For kitchen tools, a blender is used when spinning blades turn ingredients into a smooth drink, sauce, or soup. A mixer is mainly for beating or combining, especially batter, eggs, or cream, and it usually does not crush solid pieces well. A food processor is better for chopping, slicing, or grating, so it fits thicker preparation jobs rather than smooth liquids. A juicer separates liquid from fruit or vegetables instead of keeping the whole mixture together. If you want a mango smoothie or pureed tomato soup, blender is the normal word. If you want sliced carrots or pastry dough, food processor is usually more accurate.

mixerfood processor ↗juicer ↗

Etymology

English

Blender is built from the verb blend plus the ending -er, which often names a person, tool, or thing that performs an action. It first referred naturally to someone who mixes materials together, and later extended to the electric kitchen machine that does the same job with blades.

First known use

1611

1611, in the meaning defined above