mirror
Americannoun
-
mirrors
plural
-
a reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.
-
such a surface set into a frame, attached to a handle, etc., for use in viewing oneself or as an ornament.
-
any reflecting surface, as the surface of calm water under certain lighting conditions.
-
Optics. a surface that is either plane, concave, or convex and that reflects rays of light.
-
something that gives a minutely faithful representation, image, or idea of something else.
Gershwin's music was a mirror of its time.
-
a pattern for imitation; exemplar.
a man who was the mirror of fashion.
-
a glass, crystal, or the like, used by magicians, diviners, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
mirrors,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mirrored,
past participle, past
-
mirroring
present participle
-
to reflect in or as if in a mirror.
-
to reflect as a mirror does.
-
to mimic or imitate (something) accurately.
-
to be or give a faithful representation, image, or idea of.
Her views on politics mirror mine completely.
adjective
idioms
noun
-
a surface, such as polished metal or glass coated with a metal film, that reflects light without diffusion and produces an image of an object placed in front of it
-
such a reflecting surface mounted in a frame
-
any reflecting surface
-
a thing that reflects or depicts something else
the press is a mirror of public opinion
verb
-
An object that causes light or other radiation to be reflected from its surface, with little or no diffusion. Common mirrors consist of a thin sheet or film of metal, such as silver, behind or covering a glass pane. Mirrors are used extensively in telescopes, microscopes, lasers, fiber optics, measuring instruments, and many other devices.
-
See more at reflection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mirrorsimple
-
mirrorssimple
-
have mirroredperfect
-
has mirroredperfect
-
am mirroringprogressive
-
are mirroringprogressive
-
is mirroringprogressive
-
have been mirroringperfect progressive
-
has been mirroringperfect progressive
Past
-
mirroredsimple
-
had mirroredperfect
-
was mirroringprogressive
-
were mirroringprogressive
-
had been mirroringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mirror
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English mirour, from Old French mireo(u)r, equivalent to mir(er) “to look at” + -eo(u)r, from Latin -ātor, noun suffix of agency; see mirage, see -ator
Explanation
A mirror is a glass surface backed with a metallic coating that reflects images that are in front of it. When you gaze at yourself in a mirror, your own face gazes right back at you. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" asks the evil queen in "Snow White," as she admires her reflection. Ordinary mirrors can't answer this question, but they can show you how you look in your new hat or whether you have spinach between your teeth. And the verb mirror means "reflect," as when the surface of a lake mirrors the sky.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Stallo’s life appears to mirror Ewan’s, though it began decades earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Audiences just want to look in a mirror, even if they themselves internally despise what they see in that mirror.
From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026
Adelaide can’t be a beacon, only a flattering mirror.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
With many people feeling like conventional paths to wealth are broken, copy-trading platform Dub lets everyday investors automatically mirror the portfolios of hedge-fund managers, registered advisers and even politicians.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Danny had seen it when he looked in the mirror.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
We sit shiva, a formal seven days of grief in which mourners stay at home, wear torn clothing, cover mirrors, sit on low stools and silently feel their loss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The project, financed almost entirely by Abudu's media group, mirrors the upscale lifestyle complex she launched in Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, in 2019.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
This process mirrors a cellular transformation that has recently been identified as occurring naturally in the brain during human aging.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
The data mirrors what other clinics serving low-income patients saw during the raids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The door swings open of its own accord, revealing a cluttered dressing room lined with mirrors, each reflecting a different view of Prospero.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Like hands, all amino acids exist as two mirrored variants, but only one of them is found in the proteins in the body's cells.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The show aired from 2003 to 2008 and mirrored the format of shows like “Pop Idol” and “American Idol.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The whole journey—from military technology to civilian infrastructure and now global vulnerability—is neatly mirrored in the military’s own training curriculum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
It is a downward trend that is not mirrored across other major European leagues.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
I point to the mirrored orb dangling in the center of the dance floor—if there were going to be dancing at this wedding.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
It ends a lawsuit alleging TikTok is intentionally designed to addict children to its features, mirroring a host of lawsuits against social media platforms.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
A hubbub filled the room, bathed in pink-red light, mirroring the party's red rose emblem.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Tesla plans to initially deploy a small number of Model Y crossover SUVs in Clark County, mirroring a strategy it’s employed in Texas, Florida and California.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Meeting fellow creatives who looked like me gave me a sense of validation, mirroring what Celia Cruz did for me in adolescence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I noticed,” he said, his wrinkled forehead mirroring my own confusion.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
