reflect on
Idioms-
Consider or think carefully about, as in She reflected on her country's role in history . [c. 1600] A closely related phrase is on due reflection , meaning “after careful consideration.” For example, On due reflection I decided to vote for the incumbent .
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reflect on one . Give evidence of one's qualities, as in The hasty preparation of this report will reflect on you . [Second half of 1600s]
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.
With the Supreme Court entering the final few weeks of its 2025–2026 term, Dahlia and Mark reflect on the court’s “three-ring circus” for this week’s Amicus.
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026
BP needs to reflect on how it conducts its searches for new chairs, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Since 1997, she’s periodically turned her camera on urban landscapes, including Los Angeles and Chicago, using architecture and public space to reflect on broader social and political issues.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Literature cannot topple an authoritarian regime on its own, but it can encourage people to reflect on authoritarian tendencies and what that can mean for their own lives.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
This may sound funny to us in the context of old Hawaii, until we reflect on all the misery still being caused by such struggles in the modern world.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
