as in illusion
an image that tricks a person's vision
Some may dismiss what we witnessed that night as an optical illusion, but we firmly believe it was a UFO.
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Recent Examples of optical illusion
This pair, on the other hand, is lined with a thick layer of hidden fleece inside — a toasty warm optical illusion.
—
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Crew members rushed about, tending to the set’s various optical illusions, which included an Escher-like maze of stairwells, some real, some painted on a matte board, and two performers, playing Chinese folk music, who on closer inspection turned out to be a pair of paper cutouts.
—Dennis Zhou, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
To expand the collection, LaundRE invited designers and influencers to create exclusive laser designs, which run the gamut from animal spots, snakeskin, paisley and camouflage to more abstract prints and optical illusion designs.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 25 Nov. 2025
The resulting look gives a near-optical illusion effect and will also serve a functional purpose for those seeking to add a few inches to their stature.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Crew members rushed about, tending to the set’s various optical illusions, which included an Escher-like maze of stairwells, some real, some painted on a matte board, and two performers, playing Chinese folk music, who on closer inspection turned out to be a pair of paper cutouts.
—Dennis Zhou, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
To expand the collection, LaundRE invited designers and influencers to create exclusive laser designs, which run the gamut from animal spots, snakeskin, paisley and camouflage to more abstract prints and optical illusion designs.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 25 Nov. 2025
The resulting look gives a near-optical illusion effect and will also serve a functional purpose for those seeking to add a few inches to their stature.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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Still, there are some footwear styles and silhouettes that work better for women on the shorter side, helping give the illusion of a higher stature.—
Shelby Comroe,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
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Her sister, Kali, has the power to create illusions, so the Eleven that everyone witnessed in her final moments could have been fake, and the real Eleven could have slipped away without being detected.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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What was once thought of as a pipe dream for hockey fans in South Florida is about to finally become reality.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the franchise under Jones, would seemingly be an ideal candidate for Jones to eschew some or all of his GM duties off on, but there’s little evidence that’s ever been more than a pipe dream for Cowboys fans.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Sam slips back into her addiction and as her alcoholism worsens, so do the visions and apparitions that seem to be haunting the forest.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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One of the most stunning exhibitions of the year put the spotlight on Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has a long history dating back to 1531, tied to four apparitions of the Virgin Mary to a peasant in Mexico.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal advocacy organization, argued that if such chimeras gained humanlike awareness, they should be treated as human research subjects.—
Monika Piotrowska,
The Conversation,
8 Dec. 2025
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The chimera of a two-state solution still has widespread backing within Washington’s traditional foreign policy establishment.—
Ray Takeyh,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusion. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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