Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense mirrors, present participle mirroring, past tense, past participle mirrored
1. countable noun
A mirror is a flat piece of glass which reflects light, so that when you look at it you can see yourself reflected in it.
He absent-mindedly looked at himself in the mirror.
He checked his mirror and saw that a dark coloured van was immediately behind him.
Synonyms: looking-glass, glass [British], reflector, speculum More Synonyms of mirror
mirroredadjective
...a mirrored ceiling.
2. verb
If something mirrors something else, it has similar features to it, and therefore seems like a copy or representation of it.
The book inevitably mirrors my own interests and experiences. [VERB noun]
His own shock was mirrored on her face. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: reflect, show, follow, match More Synonyms of mirror
3. verb
If you see something reflected in water, you can say that the water mirrors it.
[literary]
...the sudden glitter where a newly-flooded field mirrors the sky. [VERB noun]
The ship would lie there mirrored in a perfectly unmoving glossy sea. [VERB-ed]
mirror in British English
(ˈmɪrə)
noun
1.
a surface, such as polished metal or glass coated with a metal film, that reflects light without diffusion and produces an image of an object placed in front of it
2.
such a reflecting surface mounted in a frame
3.
any reflecting surface
4.
a thing that reflects or depicts something else
the press is a mirror of public opinion
verb
5. (transitive)
to reflect, represent, or depict faithfully
he mirrors his teacher's ideals
Derived forms
mirror-like (ˈmirror-ˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French from mirer to look at, from Latin mīrārī to wonder at
mirror in American English
(ˈmɪrər)
noun
1.
a smooth surface that reflects the images of objects; esp., a piece of glass coated on thereverse side as with silver or an amalgam
2.
anything that gives a true representation or description
3. Rare
something to be imitated or emulated; model
4. Archaic
a crystal used by fortune-tellers, sorcerers, etc.
verb transitive
5.
to reflect, as in a mirror; give or show a likeness of
Word origin
ME mirour < OFr mireor < VL *miratorium < mirare: see mirage
mirror in Hospitality
(mɪrər)
Word forms: (regular plural) mirrors
noun
(Hospitality (hotel): Hotel room, bathroom)
A mirror is a flat piece of glass which reflects light, so that when you look at it you cansee yourself reflected in it.
When a mirror is broken, the glass must be replaced.
To clean a bathroom mirror, use a sponge with hot water.
You could not see your reflection in the dirty mirror.
Examples of 'mirror' in a sentence
mirror
This mindset helps us face the bathroom mirror and an uncertain future.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Stand in front of a mirror wearing the shoes you plan to wear with them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Our national attitude to elderly care perfectly mirrors our personal attitude to ageing.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But the mum was hit by the wing mirror of a van and died of head injuries.
The Sun (2016)
This opens on to a bright restaurant with gilded mirrors and ceiling lights with fittings shaped like oak leaves.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We look in the mirror, do a lot of talking.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Otherwise, you will become mirror images and the relationship will get boring.
The Sun (2016)
In art, women looking into mirrors have always represented vanity.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It is what drama is all about: a highly polished mirror reflecting the realities of a messy, urban world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Our favourite feature is the mirrored ceilings above the large and bouncy double beds.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
What was all this about rear view mirror at traffic lights?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They are cheaper than framed mirrors and are sold at glazing shops.
The Sun (2016)
Teach your daughter how to look in the mirror and see the good.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They were both reflected in its mirror.
Len Deighton Bomber
The wardrobes are made entirely of clear and mirrored glass.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The white soles of her feet were reflected in the mirror behind her.
Clerk, Jayana & Siegel, Ruth Modern Literatures of the Non-Western World: Where the Waters Are Born (1995)
These two narratives are mirror images of each other.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
You need to stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself you look great.
The Sun (2012)
Here their bodies almost perfectly mirror each other.
The Sun (2014)
The wing mirrors and wheels can also be personalised.
The Sun (2012)
Another slick detail is the mirror ceiling to the master bedroom shower.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
She looks in the mirror now and sees a completely different face.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The room for the media conference was searched by sniffer dogs and security officers with metal detectors and mirrors.
The Sun (2006)
Do you really still get dressed in your bedroom and check your look in a mirror stuck inside the wardrobe door?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Those decorative lights around your mirrors.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When he looks in the mirror he doesn't recognise himself either.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They provide instant cosiness: hang around a mirror or picture frame.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It has acres of silver and dark mirrored surfaces, contemporary colours, cool lights and cabins with balconies.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
mirror
British English: mirror /ˈmɪrə/ NOUN
A mirror is an object made of glass in which you can see your reflection.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
American English: mirror
Arabic: مِرْآةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: espelho
Chinese: 镜子
Croatian: zrcalo
Czech: zrcadlo
Danish: spejl
Dutch: spiegel
European Spanish: espejo
Finnish: peili
French: miroir
German: Spiegel
Greek: καθρέφτης
Italian: specchio
Japanese: 鏡
Korean: 거울
Norwegian: speil
Polish: lustro
European Portuguese: espelho
Romanian: oglindă
Russian: зеркало
Latin American Spanish: espejo
Swedish: spegel
Thai: กระจก
Turkish: ayna
Ukrainian: дзеркало
Vietnamese: gương
British English: mirror VERB
If something mirrors something else, it has similar features to it, and therefore seems like a copy or representation of it.
The book inevitably mirrors my own interests and experiences.
American English: mirror
Brazilian Portuguese: refletir
Chinese: 反映
European Spanish: reflejar
French: refléter
German: widerspiegeln
Italian: rispecchiare
Japanese: よく似ている
Korean: 반영하다
European Portuguese: refletir
Latin American Spanish: reflejar
Chinese translation of 'mirror'
mirror
(ˈmɪrəʳ)
n(c)
镜(鏡)子 (jìngzi) (面, miàn)
[in car]后(後)视(視)镜(鏡) (hòushìjìng) (个(個), gè)
vt
反映 (fǎnyìng)
(noun)
Definition
a sheet of glass with a metal coating on its back, that reflects an image of an object placed in front of it
He went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.
Synonyms
looking-glass
glass (British)
reflector
speculum
(verb)
Definition
to reflect or represent faithfully
His own shock was mirrored in her face.
Synonyms
reflect
The glass appears to reflect light naturally.
show
follow
I hope other women will follow my example.
match
represent
The cartoonist represents him as an old man in a dressing gown.
copy
We all tend to copy people we admire.
coquettish gestures which she had copied from actresses in soap operas
repeat
I repeated the story to a delighted audience.
echo
Many phrases in the last chapter echo earlier passages.
parallel
depict
reproduce
The effect has proved hard to reproduce.
emulate
I never tried to emulate my father.
related words
related phobiaeisoptrophobia
Additional synonyms
in the sense of copy
Definition
to act or try to be like another
We all tend to copy people we admire.coquettish gestures which she had copied from actresses in soap operas
Synonyms
imitate,
act like,
emulate,
behave like,
follow,
repeat,
mirror,
echo,
parrot,
ape,
mimic,
simulate,
follow suit,
follow the example of
in the sense of echo
Definition
(of people) to repeat or imitate (what someone else has said)
Many phrases in the last chapter echo earlier passages.
Synonyms
recall,
reflect,
copy,
mirror,
resemble,
reproduce,
parrot,
imitate,
reiterate,
ape
in the sense of emulate
Definition
to imitate (someone) in an attempt to do as well as or better than him or her
I never tried to emulate my father.
Synonyms
imitate,
follow,
copy,
mirror,
echo,
mimic,
take after,
follow in the footsteps of,
follow the example of,
take a leaf out of someone's book,
model yourself on
Synonyms of 'mirror'
mirror
Explore 'mirror' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of follow
Definition
to accept the ideas or beliefs of
I hope other women will follow my example.
Synonyms
copy,
imitate,
emulate,
mimic,
model,
adopt,
live up to,
take a leaf out of someone's book,
take as an example,
pattern yourself upon
in the sense of repeat
Definition
to tell to another person (the secrets told to one by someone else)
I repeated the story to a delighted audience.
Synonyms
retell,
relate,
quote,
renew,
echo,
replay,
reproduce,
rehearse,
recite,
duplicate,
redo,
rerun,
reshow
in the sense of represent
Definition
to present an image of through a picture or sculpture
The cartoonist represents him as an old man in a dressing gown.