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:
The company's environmental manager Anthony Lee said it had taken a few months for staff to fully mirror their home recycling habits at the workplace, and that there had been a "significant improvement in compliance".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The new head of 7-Eleven Inc. has a plan to revamp the famed convenience-store chain’s image in North America: mirror what’s worked in Japan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
"The mirror is a better metaphor. These systems reflect what we put in, at scale. That's reason enough for the policy change" at Anthropic, he added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
But these days, it is behaving less like a barometer of market health and more like a funhouse mirror.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Craning her head around, she looks over her shoulder at the full-length mirror that hangs on the back of her bedroom door.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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 new app will support both the traditional page-based comics format that mirrors physical books and the more mobile-device-friendly vertical-scroll format.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
In the brightly lighted foyer, Valentyna Kyselova adjusts her hair in one of the gilded mirrors, then poses for a selfie with a friend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Ainsley’s at the mirrors, touching up her makeup—packing her arsenal of cosmetics into a designer tote bag.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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 equestrian facility is topped off by a sprawling 20,000-square-foot riding arena with an observation deck and mirrored wall, which the listing notes is suitable for both dressage and jumping.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
In many ways his post-match comments mirrored his team's performance - leaden, stale, disheartening.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
One mirrored studio with two tiny change rooms facing a Carl’s Jr., a gas station and a liquor store.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
All the walls are black marble except for one that is mirrored entirely.
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
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
Mike Trout could not stop smiling, mirroring the optimism and goodwill at Angel Stadium on the day Stan Kroenke announced a deal to buy the Angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 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
But mirroring overnight gains on the Nasdaq, Asia tech stocks rose for a second straight day, with Tokyo up almost two percent and semiconductor-heavy Seoul soaring 5.4 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
I say, mirroring him by folding my arms.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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.
