rearview mirror
noun
rear·view mirror
ˈrir-ˌvyü- 
variants
or rearview
plural rearview mirrors or rearviews
1
: a mirror (as in an automobile) that gives the driver a view of the area behind a vehicle
The air fresheners that dangle from rearview mirrors have been a ubiquitous accessory in cars for decades.—
Mike Baker and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs
Another car's headlights appeared in her rearview—the first she'd seen since … turning onto Route 60.—Erin Brockovich and C. J. Lyons
2
: past entry 3
—used in phrases like in the rearview mirror, in one's rearview mirror and in one's rearview
With the midterm elections barely in the rearview mirror, the competition is heating up among states trying to move up in the presidential primary lineup.—Alex Seitz-Wald and Natasha Korecki
Siakam was coming off shoulder surgery as well. … But Siakam put all that in his rearview mirror and never looked back, finishing with career highs in rebounds and assists …—Mike Ganter
After Zayn Malik abruptly departed from One Direction in 2015, he largely left the band in his rearview.—Larisha Paul
… [rappers] Killer Mike and El-P, both of whom had left rap's zeitgeist in their rearviews long ago …—Tom Breihan
Examples of rearview mirror in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Once a dot in Napoli and Milan’s rearview mirror, this FIAT 500 of a Juventus team is catching up.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
There was even speculation that the days of shaking hands were in the rearview mirror owing to a growing belief that the very humans who have long driven all progress by working closely together were suddenly a lethal threat to one another.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
But with the college football season firmly in the rearview mirror, let’s set aside football briefly to zoom in this week on USC’s basketball programs, both of which are facing a make-or-break stretch of their schedules.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In the meantime, though, he’s currently involved in two major cases—with four more in the rearview mirror.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 21 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rearview mirror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rearview%20mirror. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
rearview mirror
noun
rear·view mirror
ˌri(ə)r-ˌvyü-
: a mirror (as in a car) that gives a view to the rear
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