From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmiragemi‧rage /ˈmɪrɑːʒ $ məˈrɑːʒ/ noun [countable] 1 HEMSEEan effect caused by hot air in a desert, which makes you think that you can see objects when they are not actually there2 HOPEa dream, hope, or wish that cannot come true SYN illusion Perhaps we are just chasing a mirage.
Examples from the Corpus
mirage• The bubbles of foam trembled to mist and I sensed the house become dangerous, a mirage to my eyes.• The oasis is just a mirage.• It floated mockingly through his sleep and came like a mirage between his eyes and the daylight.• But the opposition is not alone in seeing the appearance of new prosperity as in part a mirage.• She thought at first it must be the edge of the sea, then realised it was a mirage.• A mirage, a reflection of layers on air out to sea.• Information at a distance overwhelms, or creates mirages.• He has photo enhancements, floor plans, home movies, biographies, bibliographies, letters, rumors, mirages, dreams.• an eerie no-man's land where travellers see mirages• The thought of the hotel seemed like the mirage of an oasis, something always just out of reach.Origin mirage (1800-1900) French mirer; → MIRROR1 