rearview mirror

American

[reer-vyoo] / ˈrɪərˌvyu /

noun

a mirror mounted on the side, windshield, or instrument panel of an automobile or other vehicle to provide the driver with a view of the area behind the vehicle.

Etymology

Origin of rearview mirror

First recorded in 1925–30; rear ¹ + view

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.

Maybe with “Cars” safely in the rearview mirror, and me having just exhausted my one bad pun per story with this sentence, Pixar can return to consistent greatness.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

To assume that future returns will be high because recent returns have been high would be like driving a car down the road while looking only in the rearview mirror.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

Just as new drivers learn to use a rearview mirror to track other vehicles, "Octopuses can also learn how to use a mirror to infer where things are in the world."

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

By April 17, 1991, with the first Gulf War in the rearview mirror, Wall Street was betting on an economic recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Sarah glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023