# reflect on

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/reflect-on
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to think deeply

phrasal verb · CEFR B2 · Academic

to think carefully and seriously about something that happened in the past.

For teachers: to engage in serious or careful contemplation of a past event, decision, or concept. This sense is transitive and requires the preposition 'on'.

- After the project ended, the team took a day to reflect on their mistakes.
- The retired diplomat spent his final years writing a memoir to reflect on the geopolitical shifts he had witnessed over four decades.

### 2. to give an impression

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to make someone or something look good or bad to other people.

For teachers: to result in a particular credit or discredit for a person or entity. Usually used with an adverb like 'well' or 'badly'.

- The student's excellent behavior reflects well on the entire school.
- The CEO's controversial public statements began to reflect poorly on the company's brand image and stock price.

### 3. computing reflection

phrasal verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

in computer programming, to look at the details of code while it is running.

For teachers: to access or modify the metadata and structure of a data type or object at runtime. This usage is specific to the concept of reflection in software engineering.

- The program needs to reflect on the object to find its hidden properties.
- Using the library, the developer was able to reflect on the class structure to automate the generation of database schemas.

Usage: Used as a transitive phrasal verb in technical documentation.

## Examples

- You should take some time to reflect on your progress.
- After the project ended, the team met to reflect on what went well and what needed improvement.
- The retired diplomat spent his final years writing a memoir to reflect on the geopolitical shifts he had witnessed during his long career.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: contrast with 'think about' (general) and 'ponder' (more literary); 'reflect on' specifically implies looking back at an experience to gain wisdom or understanding.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.