Illustration of white-footed mouse
white-footed mouse
noun
white-foot·ed mouse
ˈ(h)wīt-ˌfu̇-təd- 
: any of various largely nocturnal mice (genus Peromyscus) of North and Central America typically having whitish feet and underparts
especially
: a common woodland mouse (P. leucopus) of North America
Examples of white-footed mouse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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).
—
Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
The virus is primarily carried by wild rodents, such as deer mice and white-footed mice.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Trappings near her home in following months caught a variety of deer mice and white-footed mice, though the rodents tested negative for the virus.
—Eva Flowe
may 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
The cycle behind tick bites Both black-legged ticks and white-footed mice are widespread across Pennsylvania.
—Emily Bache, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The team collected museum specimens for the brown rat, house mouse, Eastern grey squirrel, Eastern chipmunk, muskrat, white-footed mouse, fox squirrel and Southern flying squirrel, making anatomical measurements of each for statistical comparisons.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Mourning doves and white-footed mice eat violet seeds.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
Oak Mast Seeding Is Only The Start Of A Two-Year Cycle
When oaks unleash a bumper crop of nuts in the fall, white-footed mice respond with a population boom the following summer.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
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Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
The virus is primarily carried by wild rodents, such as deer mice and white-footed mice.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Trappings near her home in following months caught a variety of deer mice and white-footed mice, though the rodents tested negative for the virus.
—Eva Flowe
may 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
The cycle behind tick bites Both black-legged ticks and white-footed mice are widespread across Pennsylvania.
—Emily Bache, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The team collected museum specimens for the brown rat, house mouse, Eastern grey squirrel, Eastern chipmunk, muskrat, white-footed mouse, fox squirrel and Southern flying squirrel, making anatomical measurements of each for statistical comparisons.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Mourning doves and white-footed mice eat violet seeds.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
Oak Mast Seeding Is Only The Start Of A Two-Year Cycle
When oaks unleash a bumper crop of nuts in the fall, white-footed mice respond with a population boom the following summer.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“White-footed mouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-footed%20mouse. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
white-footed mouse
noun
white-foot·ed mouse
ˌ(h)wīt-ˌfu̇t-əd-
: a common woodland mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) that has whitish feet and underparts and that is a reservoir for the spirochete of the genus Borrelia (B. burgdorferi) causing Lyme disease
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