Synonyms

smoke and mirrors

American

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb) something that distorts or blurs facts, figures, etc., like a magic or conjuring trick; artful deception.

smoke and mirrors British

noun

irrelevant or misleading information serving to obscure the truth of a situation

"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

Etymology

Origin of smoke and mirrors

First recorded in 1980–85

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.

It’s all smoke and mirrors, sure, but there’s a certain comfort in a life after death where Patrick Swayze can still spin pottery!

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025

Gabriel could have come across as a mere cipher in this environment, a faceless spook navigating smoke and mirrors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

"Neuralink is currently just smoke and mirrors, with a lot of hype," Herve Chneiweiss, a neurologist and expert in ethics at France's research organisation INSERM, told AFP.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

Although that was more than 30 years ago, the smoke and mirrors nonsense usually produced by meetings like these has not changed.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

But maybe being able to say “I love you” was just smoke and mirrors compared to having a living being under your fingers.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

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