mirror

American  

[mir-er] / ˈmɪr ər /

noun

1. a reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.

2. such a surface set into a frame, attached to a handle, etc., for use in viewing oneself or as an ornament.

3. any reflecting surface, as the surface of calm water under certain lighting conditions.

4. Optics. a surface that is either plane, concave, or convex and that reflects rays of light.

5. something that gives a minutely faithful representation, image, or idea of something else.

   Gershwin's music was a mirror of its time.

6. a pattern for imitation; exemplar.

   a man who was the mirror of fashion.

   Synonyms:

   paradigm, epitome, model

7. a glass, crystal, or the like, used by magicians, diviners, etc.

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verb (used with object)

1. to reflect in or as if in a mirror.

2. to reflect as a mirror does.

3. to mimic or imitate (something) accurately.

4. to be or give a faithful representation, image, or idea of.

   Her views on politics mirror mine completely.

adjective

1. Music. (of a canon or fugue) capable of being played in retrograde or in inversion, as though read in a mirror placed beside or below the music.

idioms

1. with mirrors, by or as if by magic.

mirror British  

/ ˈmɪrə /

noun

1. 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

2. such a reflecting surface mounted in a frame

3. any reflecting surface

4. a thing that reflects or depicts something else

   the press is a mirror of public opinion

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verb

1. (tr) to reflect, represent, or depict faithfully

   he mirrors his teacher's ideals

mirror Scientific  

/ mĭr′ər /

1. 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.

2. See more at reflection

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Other Word Forms

• mirror-like adjective
• mirrorlike adjective
• unmirrored adjective

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; mirage, -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

It was not known whether the two sides would meet face-to-face, or whether they would mirror an indirect format used in Oman-mediated talks before the war.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

As I drove off, I smiled as I watched the women, waving at me in the rearview mirror.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The hosts get generational wealth and perhaps retain enough editorial freedom to look in the mirror and tell themselves they aren’t sellouts.

From Slate • Apr. 7, 2026

His two main characters, infantrymen named Willie and Joe, were bedraggled, unshaven, dirty, tired to the bone, contemptuous of authority—in other words, mirror images of many of the real soldiers fighting that war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Just the crumpled towel and his own reflection staring back at him from the mirror.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• depict
• echo
• embody
• epitomize
• exemplify
• follow
• illustrate
• imitate
• mimic
• personify
• represent
• symbolize
• typify