mirror
a reflecting surface, originally of polished metal but now usually of glass with a silvery, metallic, or amalgam backing.
such a surface set into a frame, attached to a handle, etc., for use in viewing oneself or as an ornament.
any reflecting surface, as the surface of calm water under certain lighting conditions.
Optics. a surface that is either plane, concave, or convex and that reflects rays of light.
something that gives a minutely faithful representation, image, or idea of something else: Gershwin's music was a mirror of its time.
a pattern for imitation; exemplar: a man who was the mirror of fashion.
a glass, crystal, or the like, used by magicians, diviners, etc.
to reflect in or as if in a mirror.
to reflect as a mirror does.
to mimic or imitate (something) accurately.
to be or give a faithful representation, image, or idea of: Her views on politics mirror mine completely.
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 about mirror
with mirrors, by or as if by magic.
Origin of mirror
1Other words for mirror
Other words from mirror
- mir·ror·like, adjective
- un·mir·rored, adjective
Words that may be confused with mirror
- mere, mirror
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mirror in a sentence
Leaders across the region have watched as health metrics backslide, prompting additional social and economic restrictions this week as caseloads mirror a national surge.
Maryland counties add coronavirus restrictions as infections rise across the Washington region | Rachel Chason, Erin Cox | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostShadows and mirrors produce some of the most evocative effects.
For this artist and his girlfriend, life in lockdown became a creative opportunity | Mark Jenkins | November 12, 2020 | Washington PostWithin low-income neighborhoods, with higher percentages of residents who are people of color, more people would be infected, which mirrors real-life patterns of transmission.
These venues are high-risk areas for spreading the coronavirus, model suggests | Ben Guarino, Joel Achenbach | November 10, 2020 | Washington PostBeing secluded and not being able to go anywhere, it’s been like a mirror.
The pandemic is taking a toll on parents, and it’s showing in alcohol consumption rates | Sarah Hosseini | November 9, 2020 | Washington PostThe rose-gold mirrored lens works well in all but the very lowest light conditions, and it was perfect on partially cloudy days, when the light is always changing.
“My writing life and my life with computers … seem mirrored, computer twinned,” he writes.
Vikram Chandra Is A Novelist Who's Obsessed With Writing Computer Code | Jane Ciabattari | August 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe wet ground mirrored the overcast sky and three officiating officers stood saluting in the background.
In several respects, his demands mirrored the vaguely worded official statement from Geneva.
There is a photocopy collage of the mirrored image divided by bright colors to the right and a more muted palette to the left.
Johns took the original source and mirrored it horizontally, creating a large missing void in the center of the work.
It has been often said that a drowning man in his struggles sees his whole life mirrored before him.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniTo-dau I went for a stroll by the river in whose blue waters are mirrored the willows and the houses that befringe its banks.
Marguerite | Anatole FranceIn the very middle of the pond the sky was mirrored clear and dark, a blue which looked as if a black void lay behind.
Ruth | Elizabeth Cleghorn GaskellBristow had never seen an emotion mirrored so clearly, so indisputably, in anybody's eyes.
The Winning Clue | James Hay, Jr.Mirrored there he saw a different man from the one who had rented the room.
From Place to Place | Irvin S. Cobb
British Dictionary definitions for mirror
/ (ˈmɪrə) /
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
such a reflecting surface mounted in a frame
any reflecting surface
a thing that reflects or depicts something else: the press is a mirror of public opinion
(tr) to reflect, represent, or depict faithfully: he mirrors his teacher's ideals
Origin of mirror
1Derived forms of mirror
- mirror-like, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for mirror
[ mĭr′ər ]
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. See more at reflection.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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