mirror

noun

/ˈmɪrə(r)/

/ˈmɪrər/

Idioms

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enlarge image
enlarge image

[countable] a piece of special flat glass that reflects images, so that you can see yourself when you look in it
- in the mirror He looked at himself in the mirror.
- Remember to look in the mirror (= in a car, when driving) before signalling.
- the bathroom mirror
see also rear-view mirror, two-way mirror, wing mirror
Extra Examples
- He was busy admiring himself in the mirror.
- She stared at her face in the mirror.
- We hung a mirror over the fireplace.
- a large mirror hanging on the wall behind him
- She glanced at her reflection in the mirror.
Topics Houses and homesa2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- bathroom
- bedroom
- compact
- …
verb + mirror
- use
- glance in
- look in
- …
mirror + verb
- reflect something
- reveal something
- show something
- …
mirror + noun
- image
- reflection
preposition
- in a/the mirror
See full entry
a mirror of something [singular] something that shows what something else is like
- The face is the mirror of the soul.
- Dickens' novels are a mirror of his times.
(also mirror site)
(computing) a website that is a copy of another website but that has a different address on the internet

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French mirour, based on Latin mirare ‘look at’. Early senses also included ‘a crystal used in magic’ and ‘a person deserving imitation’.

Idioms

smoke and mirrors

the fact of hiding the truth with information that is not important or relevant
- There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in the financing of this film.

mirror

verb

/ˈmɪrə(r)/

/ˈmɪrər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they mirror	/ˈmɪrə(r)/ /ˈmɪrər/
he / she / it mirrors	/ˈmɪrəz/ /ˈmɪrərz/
past simple mirrored	/ˈmɪrəd/ /ˈmɪrərd/
past participle mirrored	/ˈmɪrəd/ /ˈmɪrərd/
-ing form mirroring	/ˈmɪrərɪŋ/ /ˈmɪrərɪŋ/

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mirror somebody/something to have features that are similar to somebody/something else and that show what it is like synonym reflect
- As brothers, they mirror one another in body and face.
- The music of the time mirrored the feeling of optimism in the country.
- Those findings are mirrored by surveys in other European cities.
Extra Examples
- The jump in business confidence has been mirrored by the increase in employment.
- The shock was mirrored on her face.
- The trends here closely mirror those in America.
- The plot closely mirrors the love lives of two of my friends.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- closely
- exactly
- faithfully
- …
verb + mirror
- seem to
phrases
- be mirrored by something
- be mirrored in something
- be mirrored in somebody’s face
- …
See full entry
mirror somebody/something to show the image of somebody/something on the surface of water, glass, etc. synonym reflect
- She saw herself mirrored in the window.
- The houses lining the fjord were mirrored in its calm surface.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French mirour, based on Latin mirare ‘look at’. Early senses also included ‘a crystal used in magic’ and ‘a person deserving imitation’.