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reflector

American  
[ri-flek-ter] / rɪˈflɛk tər /

noun

reflectors plural
  1. a person or thing that reflects.

  2. a body, surface, or device that reflects light, heat, sound, or the like.

  3. telescope1

  4. a substance, as graphite or heavy water, used to prevent the escape of neutrons from the core of a nuclear reactor.


reflector British  
/ rɪˈflɛktə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that reflects

  2. a surface or object that reflects light, sound, heat, etc

  3. a small translucent red disc, strip, etc, with a reflecting backing on the rear of a road vehicle, which reflects the light of the headlights of a following vehicle

  4. another name for reflecting telescope

  5. part of an aerial placed so as to increase the forward radiation of the radiator and decrease the backward radiation

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of reflector

First recorded in 1655–65; reflect + -or 2

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:

As night fell on Tucson, a man in a reflector jacket parked his truck on the same hill where Williams held court, and deployed a tripod.

From Slate Feb. 23, 2026

These waves travel forward, strike a reflector, and then move backward, much like light reflecting between mirrors in a laser.

From Science Daily Jan. 17, 2026

Consider fitting reflector panels to those on external walls.

From BBC Nov. 19, 2025

Israel wears Wavey zig-zag top, bejeweled beanie, acid cargo pants, chrome fanny pack, Planeta neon mesh shorts, Tuzza custom reflector earring.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 16, 2024

The lamp with the tin reflector hung over the table.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck

This discovery is significant in assessing the costs and benefits of using artificial reflectors in solar energy ventures.

From Science Daily May 7, 2024

Well, yeah, he was orange, but he walked around with one of those silver reflectors all the time, right until he was old.

From Salon Dec. 19, 2023

It collects the light off of 70,000 reflectors to boil salt to run an electricity-generating turbine.

From Seattle Times Nov. 25, 2023

After the October attack, Moscow stepped up countermeasures to defend the structure, deploying a ship with an array of radar reflectors to protect the bridge.

From New York Times Jul. 17, 2023

She was wearing her backpack, her white Nikes with the orange reflectors on the heels, and, hanging from a shoulder strap, our video camera.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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