mirror
Americannoun
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mirrors
plural
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a reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.
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such a surface set into a frame, attached to a handle, etc., for use in viewing oneself or as an ornament.
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any reflecting surface, as the surface of calm water under certain lighting conditions.
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Optics. a surface that is either plane, concave, or convex and that reflects rays of light.
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something that gives a minutely faithful representation, image, or idea of something else.
Gershwin's music was a mirror of its time.
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a pattern for imitation; exemplar.
a man who was the mirror of fashion.
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a glass, crystal, or the like, used by magicians, diviners, etc.
verb (used with object)
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mirrors,
present (3rd person singular)
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mirrored,
past participle, past
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mirroring
present participle
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to reflect in or as if in a mirror.
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to reflect as a mirror does.
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to mimic or imitate (something) accurately.
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to be or give a faithful representation, image, or idea of.
Her views on politics mirror mine completely.
adjective
idioms
noun
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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
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such a reflecting surface mounted in a frame
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any reflecting surface
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a thing that reflects or depicts something else
the press is a mirror of public opinion
verb
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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.
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See more at reflection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mirrorsimple
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mirrorssimple
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have mirroredperfect
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has mirroredperfect
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am mirroringprogressive
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are mirroringprogressive
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is mirroringprogressive
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have been mirroringperfect progressive
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has been mirroringperfect progressive
Past
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mirroredsimple
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had mirroredperfect
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was mirroringprogressive
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were mirroringprogressive
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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:
Freebies for McHale’s April event included a private jet and a villa in St. Barts from Swan Beauty, a company that sells an AI smart mirror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
"On day five my wing mirror got clipped by a passing vehicle and I skidded onto the hard shoulder" but was "relatively unscathed".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Unintentionally, and no doubt painfully, the British royal family has, in modern times, increasingly become a high-profile mirror of its subjects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Which may well be why so many musical instruments so often mirror the curves, contours and parts of the human body.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
I joined her in front of a three-sided mirror in the corner beside the dressing rooms.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
“There’s such a mix of genres on this list, and that mirrors how his films work — the love of cinema history and the lovingly satirizing ways of dealing with genre.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"What we're seeing is a gradual shift in blood chemistry that mirrors the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is driving climate change," A/Prof Larcombe said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
The trend mirrors changes seen in many parts of the world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Europe’s current immigration system is a hall of mirrors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
As evening thickened and lights were turned on, you could see inside where large mirrors hung on ivory-white walls and long curtains framed polished wood tables.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
The threat -- which Trump backed up with a map featuring the new name -- mirrored his move to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America last year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The company’s share performance has mirrored the cooling Labubu craze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The community is seen rallying around him in his darkest hours—a beautiful display that is mirrored in the way that Richmond itself has welcomed “Ted Lasso” fans, seemingly with open arms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Their selection inconsistency is mirrored in their form on the park too.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The two workmen made identical movements, and Harry mirrored them without conscious thought: All three of them drew their wands.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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
It is about the passing of specific legislation, mirroring the US ban on products that have used forced labour in supply chains.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The final summit declaration consisted of six concise paragraphs, mirroring the brevity of the 2025 Hague Summit declaration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Linton glanced at the memo Terryl had handed him and could see now that it was a set of facts and assertions mirroring what Terryl was telling him—an outline of the case.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions 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.
