rearview mirror

noun

rear·​view mirror ˈrir-ˌvyü- 

variants or rearview

plural rearview mirrors or rearviews

1

: a mirror (as in an automobile) that gives the driver a view of the area behind a vehicle

The air fresheners that dangle from rearview mirrors have been a ubiquitous accessory in cars for decades.

—Mike Baker and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Another car's headlights appeared in her rearview—the first she'd seen since … turning onto Route 60.

—Erin Brockovich and C. J. Lyons

2

: past entry 3

—used in phrases like in the rearview mirror, in one's rearview mirror and in one's rearview

With the midterm elections barely in the rearview mirror, the competition is heating up among states trying to move up in the presidential primary lineup.

—Alex Seitz-Wald and Natasha Korecki

Siakam was coming off shoulder surgery as well. … But Siakam put all that in his rearview mirror and never looked back, finishing with career highs in rebounds and assists …

—Mike Ganter

After Zayn Malik abruptly departed from One Direction in 2015, he largely left the band in his rearview.

—Larisha Paul

… [rappers] Killer Mike and El-P, both of whom had left rap's zeitgeist in their rearviews long ago …

—Tom Breihan

Examples of rearview mirror in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Now that the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is in the rearview mirror, the tournament is starting to feel real. —Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Her car was banged up around the sides and had many glittery stickers on the back, two plastic rosaries dangling from the rearview mirror, and a steering wheel cover made of fake purple fur. —Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025

An example in day-to-day life is driving, when you might be forced to look in the rearview mirror for people cutting you off while at the same time answering questions from your kids in the back seat. —Terry Ward, CNN Money, 6 Dec. 2025

An officer can sit downstream of the signal, off to the side, with the patrol car pointed in the same direction as those going onto the freeway and stare into the rearview mirror. —Jim Radcliffe, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rearview mirror

• clearer
• dearer
• hearer
• nearer
• shearer

Kids Definition

rearview mirror

noun

rear·​view mirror ˌri(ə)r-ˌvyü- 

: a mirror (as in a car) that gives a view to the rear