as in daydream
something that comes from or exists only in the mind and is not real
He thought he saw water up ahead but it was just a mirage.
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Recent Examples of mirage
But the winning record could obviously be a mirage given Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury that is expected to keep him out for an indefinite number of months.
—
Richard Deitsch, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Outside of these moments, the audience scatters, the conversation splinters, and the mirage vanishes.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
At the frontier edge of astronomy, tantalizing new observations have a tendency to be mirages.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
An early exit from the WBIT might have led players to question whether their 16-1 start, and short stay in the Associated Press top 25, was a mirage.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mirage
Richard Deitsch, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Outside of these moments, the audience scatters, the conversation splinters, and the mirage vanishes.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
At the frontier edge of astronomy, tantalizing new observations have a tendency to be mirages.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
An early exit from the WBIT might have led players to question whether their 16-1 start, and short stay in the Associated Press top 25, was a mirage.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mirage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mirage
Noun
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In pieces on patriotism as a kind of madness, on the long history of Polish and Russian colonizations and cultural appropriations of Ukraine, on the ways communities fantasize and share their daydreams, and others, Janion creates wormholes between past and present.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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The series can feel like a collective daydream.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Though her identity is not at first known to Benedict, the woman turns out to be Sophie Baek, a secretive maid with big dreams.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
13 Oct. 2025
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With each brick laid at The Site, The Toy will document dad’s decades-long dream.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Inspired by mirrors, which reflect reality while simultaneously generating illusion, the collection explored the tension between the two.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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Her research examines people’s beliefs about what others think of them, including illusions and biases that can interfere with social connection, and interventions to improve people’s social lives.—
Maya Rossignac-Milon
Erica Boothby,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mirage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mirage. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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