Meaning & use
mixing it up
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
Doing something in a new or different way instead of the same way as before.
Grammar: Used as a continuous verb phrase after be: 'We're mixing it up this week.' The base form is 'mix it up'.
Patterns
- be mixing it up
- mix it up with something
- mix things up
The coach has been mixing it up in training, so nobody knows who will start on Saturday.
We usually eat at the same place, but tonight we're mixing it up and trying the new Thai restaurant.
After ten years of the same routine, she decided to mix it up and take a completely different job.
phraseidiominformal
Involving different kinds of people or things together, rather than keeping them separate.
Grammar: Often followed by 'with' when you name the other group or thing: 'mixing it up with older students'.
Patterns
- mix it up with someone
- mixing it up with something
The school mixes it up with students from different year groups working on the same project.
He likes mixing it up with people who disagree with him, because it sharpens his own arguments.
phraseidiominformal
(informal) Getting into a fight or a heated argument with someone.
Grammar: Usually used with 'with': 'mixing it up with the other team'. This sense is rougher and more physical than the others.
Patterns
- mix it up with someone
The two players started mixing it up with each other right after the final whistle.
Police said a few fans were mixing it up with rival supporters outside the stadium.
Word forms
| base form | mix it up |
|---|---|
| third person singular | mixes it up |
| past tense | mixed it up |
| past participle | mixed it up |
| -ing form | mixing it up |
Common combinations
- mix things up
- Let's mix things up a bit and hold the meeting outside.
- mix it up with someone
- On the tour we mixed it up with local musicians.
- really mix it up
- The designer really mixed it up this season, using bold colors and strange shapes.
- keep mixing it up
- If you keep mixing it up in rehearsals, the performance stays fresh.
- time to mix it up
- It's time to mix it up — the same old menu is boring everyone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vary
- More neutral and formal; it describes changing something, but does not carry the informal, energetic feel of 'mix it up'.
- shake things up
- Very close in tone, but it usually suggests a bigger, more disruptive change than simply doing something differently.
- change it up
- Almost the same meaning and register; 'change it up' focuses on the change itself, while 'mix it up' suggests adding variety.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: mixing it up or mix up? mixing it up or make it up?
mixing it up vs mix up
As a phrasal verb, 'mix up' means to confuse two things or people: 'I always mix up the twins.' 'Mix it up' is a fixed phrase meaning to vary what you do.
mixing it up vs make it up
'Make it up' means to invent something, such as a story or an excuse, which is completely different from varying your routine.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mixing it up' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Mixing it up' means doing something in a new or different way, so swapping the seats fits. Option 0 confuses it with the phrasal verb 'mix up' meaning to be confused. Options 2 and 3 use it as if it meant physically combining ingredients, and they also break the grammar of the fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mixing it up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.