mixers

IPA/mˈɪksəz/
KK[mˈɪksɚz]IPA/mˈɪksərz/

mixers — noun

1. kitchen or industrial machines that stir, beat, or blend ingredients together us

1.nounB1
Definition

kitchen or industrial machines that stir, beat, or blend ingredients together using a motor and rotating attachments

Example

Imran ordered two stand mixers for the new bakery in Karachi.

compound noun: stand mixers

The hardware shop sells hand mixers, cement mixers, and small paint mixers.

type-listing: [adjective] + mixers

Common collocations
  • stand mixers
  • hand mixers
  • electric mixers
  • cement mixers
  • industrial mixers
Synonyms
  • blenders

    blenders fully liquefy; mixers stir and beat without pulverising

  • beaters

    beaters refers to the rotating part; mixers is the whole machine

Grammar Patterns

[noun] mixers

electric/cement/cake mixers

Usage Note

Almost always plural when listing kitchen or building-site equipment as a product category. Distinguish from sense 3 (people who socialise): a kitchen advert says 'we sell mixers', not 'we sell mixer people'.

Common Mistakes

I bought a mixers for my mother.
I bought a mixer for my mother.
singular machine takes 'a mixer', not 'a mixers'.

2. non-alcoholic drinks such as tonic, ginger ale, or lemonade that people pour int

2.nounB2
Definition

non-alcoholic drinks such as tonic, ginger ale, or lemonade that people pour into a strong spirit to soften its taste

Example

Quan picked up tonic and ginger ale as mixers for the rooftop party.

as mixers for [event]

The bar charges five dollars for cocktails and two dollars for plain mixers.

contrast: cocktails vs plain mixers

Common collocations
  • soft mixers
  • non-alcoholic mixers
  • tonic mixers
  • fruit mixers
Synonyms
  • chasers

    chasers follow a shot; mixers are stirred into the drink

Antonyms
  • spirits

    spirits are the strong alcohol; mixers dilute them

Grammar Patterns

mixers for [spirit]

[spirit] and mixers

Usage Note

Object is normally the soft drink, not the spirit — 'gin and tonic' lists the mixer second. Distinguish from sense 1 (machines): a host says 'we need mixers' for drinks, not 'a few mixers' (which sounds like equipment).

Common Mistakes

I added vodka as a mixer to the juice.
I added juice as a mixer to the vodka.
the mixer is the soft drink, not the spirit.

3. people described by how easily they chat with strangers — good mixers strike up

3.nounC1
Definition

people described by how easily they chat with strangers — good mixers strike up conversations quickly, while poor mixers struggle to join a group

Example

Asher and Otis are excellent mixers at any office reception.

excellent + mixers (positive judgement)

Shy children sometimes become surprisingly good mixers once they start university.

become + good mixers (development)

Common collocations
  • good mixers
  • poor mixers
  • natural mixers
  • confident mixers
Synonyms
  • socialisers

    socialisers describes the activity; mixers carries a quality judgement (good/bad)

Antonyms
  • loners

    loners avoid social contact; poor mixers want to join but struggle

Grammar Patterns

good/bad/poor mixers

[people] are mixers

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by an evaluative adjective (good / bad / poor / natural / confident). Bare 'mixers' meaning sociable people is rare without that modifier.

Common Mistakes

She is a mixers.
She is a good mixer.
singular person plus the evaluative adjective.

4. informal parties or dances arranged so that members of a club, dorm, or workplac

4.nounB2
Definition

informal parties or dances arranged so that members of a club, dorm, or workplace can meet each other and chat in a relaxed setting

Example

The freshman dorm hosts welcome mixers every September on the back lawn.

host + welcome mixers

Élise skipped two department mixers to finish her dissertation chapter.

skip + [type] mixers

Common collocations
  • welcome mixers
  • orientation mixers
  • department mixers
  • monthly mixers
Synonyms
  • socials

    socials is the broader British term; mixers stresses the meet-new-people purpose

  • meetups

    meetups are usually open to strangers; mixers are usually within a fixed group

Grammar Patterns

host/attend/organise mixers

[group] mixers

Usage Note

Subject of 'host', 'attend', 'organise', or 'run'. Typical modifiers describe the host group ('department mixers', 'club mixers') or the purpose ('welcome mixers', 'orientation mixers'). Distinguish from sense 3 (people) — a mixer-as-event is a thing on the calendar.

Common Mistakes

I went to a mixers last night.
I went to a mixer last night.
one event takes singular 'a mixer'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four pieces of kitchen kit combine ingredients, but each handles a different job. Mixers stir and beat: a stand mixer creams butter and sugar without breaking down the texture. Blenders, by contrast, fully liquefy — they turn fruit and ice into smoothies, leaving no solid pieces. Food processors are workhorses that chop, slice, and shred using sharp interchangeable blades, useful for vegetables rather than batter. Whisks are simple hand tools without a motor; they fold air into eggs or cream but cannot handle a heavy dough. So Ritu reaches for a mixer to make cake batter, a blender for her morning smoothie, a food processor to slice onions for stew, and a whisk to fluff a small bowl of cream.

mixers ↗blenders ↗food processorswhisks ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • stand mixers
  • hand mixers
  • cement mixers

Phrases

  • good mixers
  • welcome mixers
  • department mixers

Prepositions

  • mixers for [event/spirit]
  • mixers at [venue]

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Plural of 'mixer', formed from the verb 'mix' (to combine) plus the agent suffix '-er' (one who or thing that does). English borrowed 'mix' from Latin 'miscere' via Old French in the fifteenth century. By the late nineteenth century, factory advertising used 'mixer' for the machine that did the work; the soft-drink sense and the party sense both branched off in American English in the early twentieth century, extending the same metaphor of combining ingredients to combining people.