Test Your Vocabulary

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Name That Thing

Take our visual vocab quiz

Test Your Knowledge »

True or False?

A quick quiz about stuff worth knowing

Take It Now »

Join Us on FB & Twitter

Get the Word of the Day and More

Facebook | Twitter

mirage


mi·rage

noun \mə-ˈräzh\

Definition of MIRAGE

1
: an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density
2
: something illusory and unattainable like a mirage

Examples of MIRAGE

  1. A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.

Origin of MIRAGE

French, from mirer to look at, from Latin mirari
First Known Use: 1803

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: Miranda
Previous Word in the Dictionary: mirador
All Words Near: mirage

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up mirage? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).