reflect


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re·flect

 (rĭ-flĕkt′)
v. re·flect·ed, re·flect·ing, re·flects
v.tr.
1. To throw or bend back (light or sound, for example) from a surface.
2. To give back or show an image of (an object); mirror.
3. To make apparent; express or manifest: Her work reflects intelligence.
4. To bring as a consequence: The victory reflects credit on the coach.
5. Archaic To bend back.
v.intr.
1. To be bent or thrown back: Her voice reflected off the canyon walls. See Synonyms at echo.
2. To give something back, as light or sound: a shiny surface that reflects well.
3.
a. To give evidence of the characteristics or qualities of someone or something: That student's performance reflects well on the whole school.
b. To bring blame or discredit: Hasty preparation of the report will reflect on you.
4.
a. To think seriously. See Synonyms at think.
b. To express carefully considered thoughts: In the essay, he reflects on his career.

[Middle English reflecten, from Old French reflecter, from Latin reflectere, to bend back : re-, re- + flectere, to bend.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

reflect

(rɪˈflɛkt)
vb
1. (General Physics) to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which light, other electromagnetic radiation, sound, particles, etc, are thrown back after impinging on a surface
2. (General Physics) (of a mirror, etc) to form an image of (something) by reflection
3. (tr) to show or express: his tactics reflect his desire for power.
4. (tr) to bring as a consequence: the success of the project reflected great credit on all the staff.
5. (intr; foll by on or upon) to cause to be regarded in a specified way: her behaviour reflects well on her.
6. (intr; foll by on or upon) to cast dishonour, discredit, etc (on): his conduct reflects on his parents.
7. (usually foll by: on) to think, meditate, or ponder
[C15: from Latin reflectere to bend back, from re- + flectere to bend; see flex]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

re•flect

(rɪˈflɛkt)

v.t.
1. to cast back (light, heat, sound, etc.) from a surface.
2. to give back or show an image of; mirror.
3. to serve to cast or bring (credit, discredit, etc.).
4. to express; show: followers reflecting the views of the leader.
v.i.
5. to be turned or cast back, as light.
6. to cast back light, heat, etc.
7. to be reflected or mirrored.
8. to give back or show an image.
9. to think, ponder, or meditate: to reflect on one's faults.
10. to serve or tend to bring reproach or discredit: His crimes reflected on the whole community.
11. to serve to give a particular aspect or impression: The test reflects well on your abilities.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin reflectere to bend back =re- re- + flectere to bend]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

reflect


Past participle: reflected
Gerund: reflecting

Imperative
reflect
reflect
Present
I reflect
you reflect
he/she/it reflects
we reflect
you reflect
they reflect
Preterite
I reflected
you reflected
he/she/it reflected
we reflected
you reflected
they reflected
Present Continuous
I am reflecting
you are reflecting
he/she/it is reflecting
we are reflecting
you are reflecting
they are reflecting
Present Perfect
I have reflected
you have reflected
he/she/it has reflected
we have reflected
you have reflected
they have reflected
Past Continuous
I was reflecting
you were reflecting
he/she/it was reflecting
we were reflecting
you were reflecting
they were reflecting
Past Perfect
I had reflected
you had reflected
he/she/it had reflected
we had reflected
you had reflected
they had reflected
Future
I will reflect
you will reflect
he/she/it will reflect
we will reflect
you will reflect
they will reflect
Future Perfect
I will have reflected
you will have reflected
he/she/it will have reflected
we will have reflected
you will have reflected
they will have reflected
Future Continuous
I will be reflecting
you will be reflecting
he/she/it will be reflecting
we will be reflecting
you will be reflecting
they will be reflecting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been reflecting
you have been reflecting
he/she/it has been reflecting
we have been reflecting
you have been reflecting
they have been reflecting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been reflecting
you will have been reflecting
he/she/it will have been reflecting
we will have been reflecting
you will have been reflecting
they will have been reflecting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been reflecting
you had been reflecting
he/she/it had been reflecting
we had been reflecting
you had been reflecting
they had been reflecting
Conditional
I would reflect
you would reflect
he/she/it would reflect
we would reflect
you would reflect
they would reflect
Past Conditional
I would have reflected
you would have reflected
he/she/it would have reflected
we would have reflected
you would have reflected
they would have reflected
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.reflect - manifest or bring back; "This action reflects his true beliefs"
point, indicate, designate, show - indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively; "I showed the customer the glove section"; "He pointed to the empty parking space"; "he indicated his opponents"
2.reflect - reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate"
cerebrate, cogitate, think - use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere"
premeditate - think or reflect beforehand or in advance; "I rarely premeditate, which is a mistake"
theologise, theologize - make theoretical speculations about theology or discuss theological subjects
introspect - reflect on one's own thoughts and feelings
bethink - consider or ponder something carefully; "She bethought her of their predicament"
cogitate - consider carefully and deeply; reflect upon; turn over in one's mind
wonder, question - place in doubt or express doubtful speculation; "I wonder whether this was the right thing to do"; "she wondered whether it would snow tonight"
puzzle - be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide; "We puzzled over her sudden departure"
consider, study - give careful consideration to; "consider the possibility of moving"
3.reflect - to throw or bend back (from a surface); "Sound is reflected well in this auditorium"
acoustics - the study of the physical properties of sound
reverberate - be reflected as heat, sound, or light or shock waves; "the waves reverberate as far away as the end of the building"
mirror - reflect as if in a mirror; "The smallest pond at night mirrors the firmament above"
4.reflect - be bright by reflecting or casting light; "Drive carefully--the wet road reflects"
resplend - be resplendent or radiant; to shine brightly; "The Queen's garments resplended in velvet and jewels"
glare - be sharply reflected; "The moon glared back at itself from the lake's surface"
opalesce - reflect light or colors like an opal; "Distant clouds opalesce like pale brocade"; "raindrops caught in a sunbeam seem to opalesce"
luminesce - be or become luminescent; exhibit luminescence
coruscate, sparkle, scintillate - reflect brightly; "Unquarried marble sparkled on the hillside"
give out, emit, give off - give off, send forth, or discharge; as of light, heat, or radiation, vapor, etc.; "The ozone layer blocks some harmful rays which the sun emits"
5.reflect - show an image of; "her sunglasses reflected his image"
optics - the branch of physics that studies the physical properties of light
show - make visible or noticeable; "She showed her talent for cooking"; "Show me your etchings, please"
6.reflect - give evidence of a certain behavior; "His lack of interest in the project reflects badly on him"
attest, certify, evidence, manifest, demonstrate - provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes; "His high fever attested to his illness"; "The buildings in Rome manifest a high level of architectural sophistication"; "This decision demonstrates his sense of fairness"
reflect - give evidence of the quality of; "The mess in his dorm room reflects on the student"
7.reflect - give evidence of the quality of; "The mess in his dorm room reflects on the student"
attest, certify, evidence, manifest, demonstrate - provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes; "His high fever attested to his illness"; "The buildings in Rome manifest a high level of architectural sophistication"; "This decision demonstrates his sense of fairness"
reflect - give evidence of a certain behavior; "His lack of interest in the project reflects badly on him"
mirror - reflect or resemble; "The plane crash in Milan mirrored the attack in the World Trade Center"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

reflect

verb
1. show, reveal, express, display, indicate, demonstrate, exhibit, communicate, manifest, bear out, bespeak, evince Concern was reflected in the government's budget.
2. throw back, return, mirror, echo, reproduce, imitate, give back The glass appears to reflect light naturally.
3. consider, think, contemplate, deliberate, muse, ponder, meditate, mull over, ruminate, cogitate, wonder I reflected on the child's future.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

reflect

verb
1. To send back the sound of:
2. To send back or form an image of:
3. To copy (another) slavishly:
4. To think or think about carefully and at length:
Idioms: cudgel one's brains, put on one's thinking cap, rack one's brain.
5. To use the powers of the mind, as in conceiving ideas, drawing inferences, and making judgments:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَعْكِسيَعْكِس الصورَةيُفَكِّر
odrážetpřemýšletzrcadlit
reflekteregenspejlekaste tilbage
heijastaa
odraziti
endurkastaendurspeglaíhuga
反射する
반사하다
atsispindėtiatspindintisatspindysatšvaitas
apdomāt, apsvērtatspīdētatspoguļotatstarot
odrážať
odsevatipremislitizrcaliti
tänka över
สะท้อนกลับ
yansıtmakdikkatle düşünmek
phản chiếu

reflect

[rɪˈflekt]
A. VT
1. [+ light, image] → reflejar
plants reflected in the waterplantas reflejadas en el agua
I saw him/myself reflected in the mirrorlo vi/me vi reflejado en el espejo
2. [+ situation, emotion, opinion] → reflejar, hacerse eco de
the difficulties are reflected in his reportlas dificultades se reflejan en su informe, el informe se hace eco de las dificultades
the speech reflects credit on himel discurso le hace honor
to bask in reflected glorydisfrutar de la gloria ajena
3. (= say) → reflexionar
"the war has educated many of us," he reflected-la guerra nos ha concienciado a muchos -reflexionó
he reflected that life had not treated him so badlypensándolo bien, la vida no le había tratado tan mal
B. VI
1. to reflect off sth [light, heat] → reflejarse en algo; [sound] → salir rebotado de algo
2. (= think, meditate) → reflexionar, pensar
reflect before you actreflexione antes de obrar
if we but reflect a momentsólo reflexionamos un instante
to reflect on sthreflexionar or meditar sobre algo
3. to reflect on or upon sth/sb: it reflects on all of useso tiende a perjudicarnos or desprestigiarnos a todos
it reflects on her reputationeso pone en tela de juicio su reputación
to reflect well on or upon sbhacer honor a algn
to reflect badly on or upon sbdecir poco en favor de algn
it will reflect badly on the universityeso dará una imagen poco favorable de la universidad
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

reflect

[rɪˈflɛkt]
vt
[+ image] → réfléchir, refléter
[+ heat, light] → réfléchir
(= reveal) → refléter
(= think) → penser
vi (= think) → réfléchir, méditer
reflect on
vt fus
(= think about) → réfléchir à
(= discredit) (also reflect badly on) → donner une mauvaise image de
(= do credit to) (also reflect well on) → donner une bonne image de
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

reflect

vt
(= cast back) light, image, heat, soundzurückwerfen, reflektieren; (surface of water, mirror) → spiegeln, reflektieren; (fig) views, reality etcwiderspiegeln; to be reflected in something (lit, fig)sich in etw (dat)spiegeln; I saw him/myself reflected in the mirrorich sah ihn/mich im Spiegel; the many difficulties reflected in his report/attitudedie vielen Schwierigkeiten, die sich in seinem Bericht/seiner Haltung spiegeln; reflecting prismSpiegelprisma nt; to bask in reflected glorysich im Glanze eines anderen sonnen; to reflect the fact that …die Tatsache widerspiegeln, dass …; his music reflects his love for herin seiner Musik spiegelt sich seine Liebe zu ihr wider
(= think) I reflected that thus was the way of the worldich dachte bei mir, dass das eben der Lauf der Welt sei; do you ever reflect that …?denken Sie je darüber nach, dass …?
vi (= meditate)nachdenken, reflektieren (geh) (→ on, about über +acc)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

reflect

[rɪˈflɛkt]
1. vt
a. (light, image, heat) → riflettere (fig) → rispecchiare
to reflect credit on sb → fare onore a qn
b. (think) to reflect thatriflettere sul fatto che
2. vi
a. (think, meditate) to reflect (on sth)riflettere (su qc)
b. (discredit) to reflect (up)on sb/sthripercuotersi su qn/qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

reflect

(rəˈflekt) verb
1. to send back (light, heat etc). The white sand reflected the sun's heat.
2. (of a mirror etc) to give an image of. She was reflected in the mirror/water.
3. to think carefully. Give him a minute to reflect (on what he should do).
reˈflecting adjective
able to reflect (light etc). a reflecting surface.
reflection, reflexion (rəˈflekʃən) noun
She looked at her reflection in the water; After reflection I felt I had made the wrong decision; The book is called `Reflections of a Politician'.
reˈflective (-tiv) adjective
1. thoughtful. a reflective mood.
2. reflecting. Reflective number-plates.
reˈflectively adverb
reˈflector noun
something, especially of glass or metal, that reflects light, heat etc.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

reflect

يَعْكِس odrážet reflektere reflektieren αντανακλώ reflejar heijastaa refléter odraziti riflettere 反射する 반사하다 weerspiegelen reflektere odbić refletir отражать tänka över สะท้อนกลับ yansıtmak phản chiếu 反射
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

re·flect

v. reflejar;
to ___ uponreflexionar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
For example, it isn't purely coincidentally that you are here now, when one comes to reflect."
For, if you reflect a moment, you will see that, while it is easy to choose what virtues we would have our wife possess, it is all but impossible to imagine those faults we would desire in her, which I think most lovers would admit add piquancy to the loved one, that fascinating wayward imperfection which paradoxically makes her perfect.
I awoke rejoicing, and began to reflect on the glorious career before me.
We are told that the oldest inhabitants in Peru do not cease to be agitated by the earthquakes, but they probably see beyond each shock, and reflect that there are plenty more to come.
The sleep into which I now sank refreshed me; and when I awoke, I again felt as if I belonged to a race of human beings like myself, and I began to reflect upon what had passed with greater composure; yet still the words of the fiend rang in my ears like a death-knell; they appeared like a dream, yet distinct and oppressive as a reality.
For think, in all thy sadness, What road our griefs may take; Whose brain reflect our madness, Or whom our terrors shake.
And thus when I reflect on this, I am almost tempted to say that in my heart I repent of having adopted this profession of knight-errant in so detestable an age as we live in now; for though no peril can make me fear, still it gives me some uneasiness to think that powder and lead may rob me of the opportunity of making myself famous and renowned throughout the known earth by the might of my arm and the edge of my sword.
"Reflect," he said, "reflect before it is too late.
And here, reader, we must strictly caution thee that thou dost not take any occasion, from the misbehaviour of such a wretch as this, to reflect on so worthy and honourable a body of men as are the officers of our army in general.
What was his surprise to see reflected in the mirror, not his own face, but that of a young girl as lovely as the morning!
But it appeared that I had not reflected sufficiently on all the consequences of that step.
The great looking-glass above the sideboard, reflects the table and the company.