mirror
Americannoun
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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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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:
But he still makes his fair share of on-site repairs for drivers who accidentally sheared off a side mirror or rooftop exhaust fan in their scramble to make it to an event.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
U.S. stocks were mixed as investors kicked off the trading week with AI-bubble anxieties seemingly in the rear-view mirror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Much like a person's left and right hands mirror one another but cannot be perfectly superimposed, many biological structures have a preferred orientation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Holy relics employed in the proceedings line one wall, another features a one-way mirror that allows family members and novice exorcists to observe.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
It sounds like Kle is in front of the bathroom mirror again.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The move mirrors the measure outlined in the UK, which is expected to be in place until the end of the 2026-27 financial year.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Carney’s experience mirrors that of leaders from Brussels to Mexico City, where pre-emptive compromises have failed to buy immunity from Washington’s trade wrath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Hoell and his colleagues analyzed nearly four decades of El Niño and La Niña oscillations and wildfire burn areas to understand how often the fire season mirrors the climate cycle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“But he’s also a progressive with a platform that pretty much mirrors Platner’s, and Platner grew the grassroots.”
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
So what had Brunelleschi learnt from his peep-show, apart from the difficulties of working with mirrors?
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Substantial double-arch sliding glass doors that pocket into walls are mirrored on east and west walls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
But on Monday US technology stocks advanced and this was mirrored in Asian trade on Tuesday, helping Japan's Nikkei rise 1.75 percent and the Kospi in Seoul 3.6 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The challenges in Washington were mirrored elsewhere, where holiday celebrations are unfolding under widespread heat alerts affecting roughly a third of the U.S. population.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Look carefully and see the reflection in the £220 mirrored stainless-steel teapot.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
“The glass is mirrored on the other side.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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 integration allows drivers to access Google Maps directly through the vehicle’s navigation system without downloading the app or relying on smartphone mirroring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
He always refused, the restaurant’s humility always mirroring the man behind it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Micron Technology stock fell 2.9% early Friday, mirroring declines in South Korean memory-chip companies.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Was it then that Tom started to look at me differently, his disappointment mirroring my own?
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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.
