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Definition of mirage noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

mirage

noun
 
/ˈmɪrɑːʒ/,
 
/məˈrɑːʒ/
 
/məˈrɑːʒ/
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  1. an effect caused by hot air in deserts or on roads, that makes you think you can see something, such as water, which is not there
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + mirage
    • see
    • chase
    mirage + verb
    • vanish
    See full entry
  2. a hope or wish that you cannot make happen because it is not realistic synonym illusion
    • His idea of love was a mirage.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + mirage
    • see
    • chase
    mirage + verb
    • vanish
    See full entry
    3. Word Originearly 19th cent.: from French, from se mirer ‘be reflected’, from Latin mirare ‘look at’.
See mirage in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: mirage

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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