deer mouse

noun

: any of various mice (genus Peromyscus) of North and Central America
especially : one (P. maniculatus) widely distributed in forests and grasslands of North America

Examples of deer mouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The hantavirus disease is carried in the feces, urine and saliva of deer mice and other rodents and on airborne particles and dust. Aria Bendix, NBC news, 12 May 2026 Osterholm said the United States sees about 30 hantavirus cases a year, mostly west of the Mississippi and traceable to a type of deer mouse that lives in the region. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 May 2026 Hantavirus is an infectious disease that is normally spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and the white-footed mouse, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026 How to protect yourself Hantavirus cases can occur year-round, but the peak seasons in the United States are the spring and summer, which coincide with the reproductive seasons for deer mice. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026 Hantavirus infections linked to deer mice can progress to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS, a severe lung disease that can be deadly. Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026 It is primarily found in deer mice. Eva Flowe may 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026 Infected animals — most commonly the deer mouse in the U.S. — shed the virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva. Matthew Binnicker, Forbes.com, 5 May 2026 The most common hantavirus in the United States is spread by the deer mouse. Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from its agility

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deer mouse was in 1833

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deer mouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer%20mouse. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

deer mouse

noun
: any of numerous North American mice of fields and woodlands

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