mirage
noun
mi·rage
| \ mə-ˈräzh
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\
Definition of mirage
1
: an optical (see optical sense 2a) 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
A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.
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Examples of mirage in a Sentence
A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.
Recent Examples on the Web
After turning off the highway near the town of Todos Santos, and driving down an unassuming desert road, the property's organic farm fields and gleaming white plaster buildings appeared like a beautiful mirage. — Marc Davila, House Beautiful, "Hotel San Cristobal Is the Ultimate End-of-Summer Vacation Spot," 27 Aug. 2019 The city of Copiapó appeared like a mirage, shimmering and unreal. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "From Buenos Aires to the Chilean Coast: A Road Trip Across South America," 22 Aug. 2019 Every time the holy city is mentioned, the sisters whip around to gaze at an enlarged picture postcard that glimmers, like a mirage, on the back wall. — Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, "A Millennial Reboot of Chekhov, and “Moulin Rouge!” on Broadway," 29 July 2019 But the promises of probe and action have always remained a mirage. — Aijaz Hussain, The Seattle Times, "Fighting in Kashmir city leaves 3 combatants, civilian dead," 17 Oct. 2018 On July 31, after a 6-19 collapse that ranks as the worst calendar month in franchise history, their playoff dreams were a mirage. — Joe Nguyen, The Denver Post, "“Who is this guy?”: Former Broncos RB Peyton Hillis on how he ended up on the Madden cover," 5 Aug. 2019 Rowlett officials’ dream of blue waves, white sands and a Texas-size fountain would be no mirage under its latest plan for a Lake Ray Hubbard development. — David Tarrant, Dallas News, "Rowlett announces new deal to restart stalled development with Crystal Lagoon along Lake Ray Hubbard," 1 Aug. 2019 Is this a mirage leading the franchise to inaction and disaster, or is the foundation of this run something that can be built upon? — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "At a Giant Crossroad: Can San Francisco Actually Trade Away Madison Bumgarner?," 24 July 2019 Tesla’s profitable quarters at the end of 2018 have proved to be a mirage. — Michael J. Coren, Quartz, "Tesla’s losses are piling up despite record sales," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mirage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mirage
mirage
noun
English Language Learners Definition of mirage
: something (such as a pool of water in the middle of a desert) that is seen and appears to be real but that is not actually there
: something that you hope for or want but that is not possible or real
See the full definition for mirage in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mirage
noun
mi·rage
| \ mə-ˈräzh
\
\
Kids Definition of mirage
: an illusion sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over hot pavement that looks like a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are glimpsed
mirage
noun
mi·rage
| \ mə-ˈräzh
\
\
Medical Definition of mirage
: 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
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