Skip to main content
mixtape

mixtape

11 3.5
A collection of songs chosen and ordered to share or enjoy
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪksteɪp/
translation icon : compilación
  • You know, we've been doing this hip-hop thing since I was making mixtapes out of my boom box and Pharrell and I were breakdancing in... on pieces of cardboard in the garage.
  • make mixtapes
  • mixtapes for friends
  • put together a mixtape

One was I, I built mixtapes which are downloaded music from the Internet and made mixtapes for people on ACD and burnt it and give it to them.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I mean, he used to leave me, like, cute little mixtapes, little love notes in the bathroom.

  • I really would have enjoyed a longer mixtape that could change my opinion.

    Blog text (3)
  • There is a song on the last mixtape I did called 'Guilty.'

    Blog text (19)
  • I made you a mixtape.

  • For better, he put out the excellent mixtape Blue Chips with producer Party Supplies.

    Blog text (30)
  • And a chill mixtape plays while the boys pack their gear.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Every track is better than the original on this mixtape, and Hova killed.

    Blog text (3)
  • But you'll be sad ultimately knowing that she's not with you, and you want to prepare yourself with, like, a mixtape of sad songs.

  • In fact, some bands only ever got famous because of bootleg tapes and mixtapes being passed around.

    Blog text (17)
  • For her birthday, I created a mixtape filled with her favorite love songs.

Synonyms

album
vsmixtape
710 1.4

A set of songs that an artist or band releases together as one item

is usually a personal, informal selection arranged for sharing rather than official release
compilation
vsmixtape
28 3.5

A collection of songs, stories, and data gathered into one book or album

is made personally and arranged for sharing or private enjoyment

How Official

album
710 1.4
compilation
28 3.5
mixtape
11 3.5
playlist
47 2.4

Surface Forms

mixtape singular
mixtapes plural

Morphology

mixtape = mix + tape (semi-transparent) = mix + tape

The components 'mix' and 'tape' are clear, but the cultural/technological meaning (a curated compilation often not on physical tape) and specific conventions around mixtapes make the sense only partially predictable.

Etymology

The word mixtape comes from the two words mix and tape. People used to record a 'mix' of songs onto a 'tape' to share with friends, so a mixtape is a personal collection of songs arranged by someone.