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

Illustration of white-footed mouse

Examples of white-footed mouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hantavirus is an infectious disease that's normally spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and the white-footed mouse. — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 22 June 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

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white-footed mouse

• alehouse
• almshouse
• backhouse
• baghouse
• bakehouse
• bathhouse
• bauhaus
• blockhouse
• boathouse
• brewhouse
• bunkhouse
• clubhouse

Medical 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