reflect
verb OPAL WOPAL S
/rɪˈflekt/
/rɪˈflekt/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they reflect | /rɪˈflekt/ /rɪˈflekt/ |
| he / she / it reflects | /rɪˈflekts/ /rɪˈflekts/ |
| past simple reflected | /rɪˈflektɪd/ /rɪˈflektɪd/ |
| past participle reflected | /rɪˈflektɪd/ /rɪˈflektɪd/ |
| -ing form reflecting | /rɪˈflektɪŋ/ /rɪˈflektɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, usually passive] to show the image of somebody/something on the surface of something such as a mirror, water or glass
- be reflected (in something) His face was reflected in the mirror.
- She looked into the water and saw her face reflected there.
- She could see herself reflected in his eyes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- dimly
- dully
- directly
- …
- from
- off
- [transitive, intransitive] to throw back light, heat, sound, etc. from a surface
- reflect something The windows reflected the bright afternoon sunlight.
- This material absorbs the sound, and doesn’t reflect it.
- reflect something + adv./prep. When the sun's rays hit the earth, a lot of the heat is reflected back into space.
- reflect + adv./prep. The sun reflected dully off the stone walls.
Extra ExamplesTopics Physics and chemistryb1- Light reflects directly off a face of a crystal.
- The screen reflects light from the sun.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- dimly
- dully
- directly
- …
- from
- off
- [transitive] reflect something to show or be a sign of the nature of something or of somebody’s attitude or feeling
- Our newspaper aims to reflect the views of the local community.
- His music reflects his interest in African culture.
- This year's figures simply reflect the fact that we have fewer people out of work.
- Does popular culture reflect reality or distort it?
- They are constantly revising the dictionary to reflect changes in language.
- Her remarks accurately reflect the views of most of us.
Extra Examples- Senegalese culture strongly reflects influences from Islamic rulers.
- The condition of the house is reflected in its low price.
- The exhibition is designed to reflect the diversity of the nation and its regions.
- The punishment should adequately reflect the revulsion felt by most people for this appalling crime.
- The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the editor.
- Her face reflected the power of her feelings.
- The story reflects very modern concerns and issues.
- Schools need to reflect the increasing cultural diversity of modern society.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- clearly
- directly
- accurately
- …
- be designed to
- in
- [intransitive, transitive] to think carefully and deeply about something
- Before I decide, I need time to reflect.
- reflect on/upon something She was left to reflect on the implications of her decision.
- William had little time to reflect upon these episodes.
- reflect that… On the way home he reflected that the interview had gone well.
- reflect how, what, etc… She reflected how different it could have been.
- + speech ‘It could all have been so different,’ she reflected.
Extra Examples- He reflected ruefully that his money didn't buy as much as it used to
- One good thing, he reflected wryly, was that none of his colleagues would find out.
- She paused to reflect on what she had achieved.
- an opportune time to reflect critically on the city's past
- I paused to reflect how I would answer that question.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- bitterly
- ruefully
- wryly
- …
- pause to
- leave somebody to
- on
- upon
- time to reflect
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French reflecter or Latin reflectere, from re- ‘back’ + flectere ‘to bend’.
Idioms
reflect well, badly, etc. on somebody/something
- to make somebody/something appear to be good, bad, etc. to other people
- This incident reflects badly on everyone involved.
Extra Examples- This kind of conduct reflects very poorly on you.
- information that may reflect negatively on research participants