What does mingle mean?
Mingle means to mix, blend, or come together with other people, substances, or things. Its most familiar use describes moving around a party or gathering, talking with different people and becoming part of the social atmosphere: “She spent the evening mingling with the guests.” In this sense, the word conveys relaxed sociability rather than formal conversation or a single extended interaction. Mingle can also describe the combination of physical substances, especially liquids, or the joining of separate groups: “The colors mingled as the paint dried.” In a more literary or figurative context, it can refer to people or things becoming closely associated. Although “mingle” is broadly used in both British and American English, its social sense is especially characteristic of party, reception, and networking vocabulary. As a noun, it formerly referred to a social gathering, but that use is now considered archaic.
To circulate among other people at a social gathering, talking and socializing with them.
"Guests mingled on the terrace while the band played."
Common and usually neutral in social and informal contexts.
To mix or combine with another substance, material, or group.
"The dye mingles with the water until the color becomes uniform."
The construction “mingle with” is especially common for substances and abstract groups.
To become mixed, intertwined, or closely associated.
"Their memories mingled as they walked through the old town."
Often literary, figurative, or poetic.
A social gathering at which people circulate and socialize with one another.
"The village fair included music, dancing, and a general mingle."
Dated or archaic; normally used with “a” or “general.”
The plural is rare because the noun is dated and usually appears in the singular form “a mingle” or the fixed phrase “a general mingle.”
"They described the evening as one of the dullest social mingles of the season."
From a social drink at a crowded party to a chemical solution where two liquids become inseparable, mingling captures the act of joining in.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mingle come from?
The word comes from Middle English menglen, meaning to mix or combine, and ultimately relates to forms meaning “mixture” in Germanic languages. In modern English it developed both its familiar social meaning and its more literal sense of combining substances. Related forms such as commingle and intermingle preserve the same basic idea of joining or mixing together.
Related word forms
How mingle is actually used
The social sense is common in neutral and informal contexts. The blending sense is often transitive with “with,” as in “mix the pigment with water,” while the social use is commonly intransitive, as in “mingle with the other guests.” The noun sense is dated.