mouse

1 of 2

noun

ˈmau̇s 

plural mice ˈmīs 

1

: any of numerous small rodents (as of the genus Mus) with pointed snout, rather small ears, elongated body, and slender tail

2

plural also mouses : a small mobile manual device that controls movement of the cursor and selection of functions on a computer display

3

: a timid person

4

: a dark-colored swelling caused by a blow

specifically : black eye

mouse

2 of 2

verb

ˈmau̇z 

moused; mousing

intransitive verb

1

: to hunt for mice

2

: to search or move stealthily or slowly

transitive verb

1

: to search for carefully

—usually used with out

2

obsolete

a

: bite, gnaw

b

: to toy with roughly

see also:

mouse over

Synonyms of mouse

Verb

• sneak
• lurk
• slide
• slip
• snake
• steal

Examples of mouse in a Sentence

Noun

The house was infested with mice and rats.

He moved the mouse to click on the icon.

Verb

a cat mousing along in the shadows of the garden

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The antibody combination performed well in both mice and rats. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

The cat-and-mouse game of Nemesis will continue for another season. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026

Verb

The user mouses over the arm, and moves it over to the location where a pick will occur. — Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 29 June 2018

What’s more, mice need only 20 days to gestate, making for a quick turnaround from embryo to mouse pup. — Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English mūs; akin to Old High German mūs mouse, Latin mus, Greek mys mouse, muscle

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing mouse

• as quiet as a mouse
• cat and mouse
• deer mouse
• field mouse
• hazel mouse
• house mouse
• jumping mouse
• mouse-ear
• mouse-ear chickweed
• mouse mat
• mouse over
• mouse pad
• mouse potato
• play (a game of) cat and mouse
• pocket mouse
• sea mouse
• white-footed mouse

Rhymes for mouse

• blouse
• bouse
• douse
• dowse
• grouse
• haus
• louse
• rouse
• spouse
• youse
• alehouse
• almshouse

Kids Definition

mouse

1 of 2 noun

ˈmau̇s 

plural mice ˈmīs 

1

: any of numerous small rodents with pointed snout, rather small ears, and a slender usually nearly hairless tail

2

: a person without spirit or courage

3

: a small hand-operated device used for computer input (as to control cursor movement on the display screen)

mouse

2 of 2 verb

ˈmau̇z 

moused; mousing

1

: to hunt mice

2

: to search or move slyly and carefully (as a cat hunting mice)

3

: to search for carefully

mouse out a scandal

Medical Definition

mouse

noun

ˈmau̇s 

plural mice ˈmīs 

1

: any of numerous small rodents with pointed snout, rather small ears, elongated body, and slender hairless or sparsely haired tail, including all the smaller members of the genus Mus (as the medically significant house mouse, M. musculus) and many members of other rodent genera and families having little more in common than their relatively small size

2

: a dark-colored swelling caused by a blow

specifically : black eye