What does commingle mean?
To commingle is to blend things together so thoroughly that they lose their separate identities—a term used most often for money and property rather than casual mixing. When a fiduciary commingles client funds with personal assets, the distinction between whose money is whose disappears, which is why the word appears constantly in legal, banking, and accounting contexts, where commingling is usually forbidden. The word carries a faintly disapproving tone in these settings, implying improper or careless combination. Beyond finance, commingle can describe any thorough merging—of ingredients, populations, or ideas—but it retains a formal register that makes it feel out of place in ordinary conversation, where simpler verbs like mix or blend do the same work. Derived from Latin roots meaning "to mingle together," it entered English in the seventeenth century and remains a precise, professional-sounding choice whenever the merging itself is the point.
verbTo blend or mix things together, especially to combine funds, assets, or ideas so that they become merged and are no longer distinguishable from one another.
- To blend or merge different things together so they become indistinguishable (often used of funds, assets, or property).
- To mix socially or combine elements in general use.
"The trustee was accused of commingling client funds with his personal savings."
"State law strictly prohibits brokers from commingling client deposits with their own operating accounts."
"In the stew, the flavors of smoked paprika and cumin commingle into something richer than either spice alone."
In legal circles, 'commingling' is such a serious offense that mixing your own money with a client's can cost you your license.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of commingle
Commingle derives from the Latin prefix com- ("together") combined with the verb mingere/miscēre lineage that also gave English "mingle" via Old French "mesler." It was formed in English by analogy with "commingle"-type compounds, appearing in written use around the early seventeenth century. It shares its Latin root communis-related family with words like "communal" and "communicate," though its immediate kinship is with "mingle" through the Romance mixing verb.
How commingle is actually used
Most common in formal, legal, financial, and accounting contexts, where it carries a slightly negative connotation—commingling funds is typically prohibited. In everyday writing it is somewhat rare and can sound stiff or bureaucratic; "mix" or "blend" is usually the more natural choice for casual speech.
Easily confused with commingle
"Co-mingle" is a common misspelling of "commingle"; the correct form has no hyphen.
"Mingle" means to mix socially or physically, while "commingle" more specifically refers to blending things—especially money, property, or substances—into an indistinguishable whole.