: a catcher of mice and rats
especially
: a cat proficient at mousing
Examples of mouser in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Aoshima, after all, hadn’t always been a cat island; once, it had been populated mostly by people, fishermen, who brought the cats over to work as mousers.
—
Hanya Yanagihara Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 10 May 2023
Though cats had been employed as chief mousers for centuries, Larry was the first to be given the official title.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2023
This cat, the man remarks, may make a good mouser.
—Rebecca Curtis, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2020
Koudounaris learned of an army tomcat named the Colonel, for example, who was stationed at San Francisco’s Presidio in the 1890s and was said to be the best mouser the army ever had.
—Rachel Nuwer, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Nov. 2020
The 12-year-old tabby is the government’s official chief mouser to the Cabinet Office.
—Washington Post, 24 July 2019
As mousers, cats earn their keep guarding the sacks of grain that are essential to distilleries and breweries.
—Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017
Philadelphia’s Animal Care and Control Team established the program about four years ago to place unadoptable cats — the biters and the skittish, the swatters and the ones who won’t use a litter box — into jobs as mousers at barns or stables.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2017
Others go to people looking for mousers or barn cats outside.
—Zaz Hollander, Alaska Dispatch News, 12 Sep. 2017
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Hanya Yanagihara Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 10 May 2023
Though cats had been employed as chief mousers for centuries, Larry was the first to be given the official title.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2023
This cat, the man remarks, may make a good mouser.
—Rebecca Curtis, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2020
Koudounaris learned of an army tomcat named the Colonel, for example, who was stationed at San Francisco’s Presidio in the 1890s and was said to be the best mouser the army ever had.
—Rachel Nuwer, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Nov. 2020
The 12-year-old tabby is the government’s official chief mouser to the Cabinet Office.
—Washington Post, 24 July 2019
As mousers, cats earn their keep guarding the sacks of grain that are essential to distilleries and breweries.
—Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017
Philadelphia’s Animal Care and Control Team established the program about four years ago to place unadoptable cats — the biters and the skittish, the swatters and the ones who won’t use a litter box — into jobs as mousers at barns or stables.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2017
Others go to people looking for mousers or barn cats outside.
—Zaz Hollander, Alaska Dispatch News, 12 Sep. 2017
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mouser.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of mouser was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near mouser
Cite this Entry
“Mouser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mouser. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
mouser
noun
mous·er
ˈmau̇-zər 
: a cat good at catching mice
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