MEANING
1. To return light or other waves from a surface rather than simply transmit them onward.
2. To think carefully about something.
3. To express, represent, or reveal a quality or condition.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- reflect light
- a surface reflects
On the page
The dark pane reflected her hand above the letter.
The coating reflected part of the incident beam.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- reflect
- Past tense
- reflected
- Past participle
- reflected
- Present participle
- reflecting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- reflect
- Present continuous
- am/is/are reflecting
- Present perfect
- have/has reflected
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been reflecting
- Past
- reflected
- Past continuous
- was/were reflecting
- Past perfect
- had reflected
- Past perfect continuous
- had been reflecting
- Future
- will reflect
- Future continuous
- will be reflecting
- Future perfect
- will have reflected
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been reflecting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: reflect; reflects; reflected; reflected; reflecting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: reflects.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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