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 and in one's rearview mirror

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

Paramount+ With Showtime is putting the South Side of Chicago in its rearview mirror — the upcoming eighth season of The Chi (premiere date TBD) will be its last, TVLine has confirmed. —Andy Swift, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025

Overall, Leipold was excited to put this in the rearview mirror and that Kaprizov was willing to commit such a large chunk of his career to the Wild. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

Optimism abounds, leaving the disappointment of last season’s 19-63 record in the rearview mirror. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2025

Also, though, there are already three games in the rearview mirror, and the Broncos have lost two of them despite never trailing a second in the fourth quarter. —Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 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