noun
mirage
mih-RAHZH
noun
1
An optical illusion, often seen in deserts or on hot roads, caused by light bending through layers of heated air — commonly appearing as a shimmering pool of water.
"The travelers chased what turned out to be nothing more than a mirage."
"From a distance, the heat created a shimmering mirage on the highway."
2
Something that appears real or attainable but is actually an illusion.
"His promise of easy riches turned out to be a mirage."
How to Use Mirage
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA trick of light that makes something look real when it isn't — literally in the desert, or figuratively for false hopes.
Word Forms
miraged past tense, mirages plural, mirages singular
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Etymology
Borrowed directly from French mirage in the early 1800s, from mirer ("to look at, reflect").