mirage

American  

[mi-rahzh] / mɪˈrɑʒ /

noun

mirages plural

1. an optical phenomenon, especially in the desert or at sea, by which the image of some object appears displaced above, below, or to one side of its true position as a result of spatial variations of the index of refraction of air.

2. something illusory, without substance or reality.

   Synonyms:

   fancy, phantom, illusion

3. Military. Mirage, any of a series of supersonic, delta-wing, multirole French fighter-bombers.

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mirage British  

/ mɪˈrɑːʒ /

noun

1. an image of a distant object or sheet of water, often inverted or distorted, caused by atmospheric refraction by hot air

2. something illusory

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mirage Scientific  

/ mĭ-räzh′ /

1. An image formed under certain atmospheric conditions, in which objects appear to be reflected or displaced or in which nonexistent objects seem to appear. For example, the difference in the index of refraction between a low layer of very hot air and a higher level of cold air can cause light rays, travelling down from an object (such as the sky or a cloud) and passing through ever warmer air, to be refracted back up again. An observer viewing these light rays perceives them coming up off the ground, and thus sees the inverted image of the object, which appears lower than the object really is. In this way the sky itself can be reflected, resulting in the mirage of a distant lake.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mirages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mirage

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, equivalent to (se) mir(er) “to look at (oneself), be reflected” (from Latin mīrārī “to wonder at”) + -age -age

Explanation

Next time you’re traveling in the desert, make sure you carry plenty of water. That enticing pool of water you see far away in the distance may be a mirage, or an optical illusion. A mirage is created when light is distorted by layers of hot air. A mirage that looks like a body of water is actually an image of the sky. Even if you don’t spend much time in the desert, you may have noticed this phenomenon when driving on the highway on a hot day. Under certain conditions you can see in the distance what appears to be a puddle of water across the road. You’ll never reach the puddle, however: it’s just an illusion. The word mirage can be used in a more general sense to refer to anything that is unattainable or a false perception.

Example Sentences

Its two other main ships are the 52-foot Mirage and the 180-foot Marauder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

She died from metastatic cancer at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, on Wednesday surrounded by loved ones, according to her family.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Researchers who track publicly available images and other information have pointed to photos purporting to show French Mirage fighters and Chinese Wing Loong drones—both used by the U.A.E.—in action in Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Peru currently has 12 Mirage 2000 aircraft, according to defense publications.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Mirage puddles'd shimmered on the Welland road as I rode here.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell