Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1800-1900
Language: French
Origin: mirer; MIRROR1

mirage

 noun
     
Related topics: Meteorology, Optics
mi‧rage [countable]
1HEM an effect caused by hot air in a desert, which makes you think that you can see objects when they are not actually there
2 a dream, hope, or wish that cannot come true [= illusion]:
Perhaps we are just chasing a mirage.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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