mixer

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A casual social gathering arranged so that people who do not know each other can meet and talk.

   Grammar: Countable; used with a/an or the plural: a mixer, two mixers.

   Patterns

   • a mixer at a place
   • go to a mixer
   • host a mixer

   The university held a freshman mixer in the student union so new students could make friends.

   She met her future business partner at a networking mixer downtown.

   There's a mixer for new employees next Friday; you should come and introduce yourself.

2. 2nouncountable

   An electric appliance used for beating, stirring, or blending food or drinks.

   Grammar: Countable; often used in compounds like 'stand mixer' or 'hand mixer'.

   Patterns

   • a stand mixer
   • a hand mixer
   • use a mixer to do something

   Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

   They bought a heavy-duty stand mixer for making bread dough.

   If you don't have a mixer, you can whisk the cream by hand.

3. 3nouncountable

   A device or person that mixes things, especially a machine for combining ingredients or signals.

   Grammar: Countable; often part of a compound noun (e.g., 'cement mixer', 'sound mixer').

   Patterns

   • a cement mixer
   • a sound mixer
   • a paint mixer

   The construction crew used a cement mixer to prepare the concrete.

   The sound mixer adjusted the levels for each microphone during the concert.

   He works as a paint mixer at the hardware store, matching colors for customers.

Word forms

Common combinations

networking mixer

The chamber of commerce organizes a monthly networking mixer for local business owners.

cocktail mixer

They served fancy cocktails at the cocktail mixer before the awards dinner.

stand mixer

A good stand mixer can handle heavy dough without overheating.

hand mixer

She prefers a lightweight hand mixer for small batches of cake batter.

cement mixer

The cement mixer rumbled as it poured fresh concrete into the foundation.

Synonyms and how they differ

gathering

A general word for any group of people meeting; a mixer specifically aims to help strangers meet.

social

Informal and often used for organized events; a mixer is usually more casual and focused on introductions.

blender

An appliance for mixing liquids; a mixer is typically for beating or stirring thicker mixtures or for social events.

Word family

mix verb

To combine two or more things so they become one.

mixture noun

A combination of different things.

mixer noun

Already the headword; no other common family members for the social sense.

Commonly confused: mixer or mixture?

Practice

Make it your own

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