mirage

American  

[mi-rahzh] / mɪˈrɑʒ /

noun

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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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

Example Sentences

Then there’s Texas, the perennial Democratic mirage — always shimmering on the horizon.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

But a big part of that discount might be because of a mirage created by accounting rules which reduces Salesforce’s near-term earnings unjustifiably, Nygren says.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

Thomas is still untangling the frightening mirage that was the past four months of his life, but he says his most dangerous delusions were abetted by the most sycophantic version of ChatGPT: GPT-4.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026

But as the day of the 2024 festival approached, Miles's promises of tickets proved to be a mirage, created out of false invoices and fake email addresses.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

As he pulls off of Pacific Coast Highway, the plant wavers before him like an ugly industrial mirage, asphalt heat making it shimmer before him.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman