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:
"I am actually seeing the trend in inflation moving slowly down as some of the effects of the tariffs move into the rearview mirror."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
His sales typically mirror the production data from the nonprofit FilmLA, which recorded a 13% drop in shoot days in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
For simplicity, the researchers model the lightsail as an idealized mirror.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
Most of America need to look in the mirror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
He quickly blinks them away, but Arlo and I see him in the rearview mirror.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“Expertly designed retaining walls expand the usable hillside pad, showcasing an understanding of form and function that mirrors the property’s disciplined calm.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
It lacks a steering wheel, gas pedal and mirrors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Goodles’s rise mirrors broader shifts in the U.S. dry pasta market toward healthier, organic and gluten-free options.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Roman's Coronagraphic Instrument will use masks, prisms, detectors, filters, and self-flexing mirrors to demonstrate technologies capable of suppressing starlight.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Sookie was checking the mirrors, ready to back out.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Their inability to agree mirrored the wider discourse around the trial - one that trial attendee Maryanne Drysdale, 65, saw play out within her own family.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“People used to sideline her mirrored installations,” Chiu said, “but they give people a chance to step into her infinity. Somehow she became a phenomenon.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Her arc mirrored that of my Mexican immigrant parents, who were also mountain people who grew up in big farming families with no plumbing or electricity, snuggling with siblings during winter nights in unheated bedrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Yet I’d actually adapted to and enjoyed easy Zoom live video meetings, which mirrored my regular courses.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Wayward strings of lightbulbs hang overhead, beyond which I can see the mirrored, upside-down version of the city hanging down toward us from the sky.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Tokushige is also urging Japan’s defense ministry to require domestic production of key drone components, mirroring U.S. procurement rules requiring 65% local content for many federally purchased manufactured products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 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
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
Nailer shuddered at the thought of mirroring his father.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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.
