Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

rearview mirror

American  
[reer-vyoo] / ˈrɪərˌvyu /

noun

  1. 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.

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

There are quite a few examples in our rearview mirror past.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

No past, it seems, is ever far enough in the rearview mirror.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

"It's very narrow, you need to get the exact angle, and not have the rearview mirror blocking the person out," he says.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

She doesn’t hug me good-bye, but she stands in the doorway waving until her house disappears from my rearview mirror.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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.