mouse

1 of 2

noun

plural mice ˈmīs How to pronounce mouse (audio)
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

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
Phrases
mouse over
computing
: to use a mouse to position a cursor over (a specific location or element on a computer screen) without clicking the mouse's button
Rich media is pretty much anything that moves when you interact with it. It can be a Flash animation, or a streaming video clip, or an image rotator that changes when you mouse over it.Ariel Bleicher

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
That is because cats see guinea pigs as big hairy mice, which is their favorite prey. Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024 When the product line was first introduced in 2008, it was marketed as a computer for people switching from Microsoft Windows who could simply plug their existing keyboard, mouse and monitor into their new silver box. Kif Leswing, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
There’s no more wasting time mousing all over the screen just to adjust the size of a brush or to set a different value. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 With Signature Slim Combo, IT teams can mass deploy a single keyboard and mouse across an entire global workforce while keeping an eye on all the devices remotely using Logitech Sync to update the firmware. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mouse 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of mouse was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mouse

Cite this Entry

“Mouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mouse. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

mouse

1 of 2 noun
plural mice ˈmīs How to pronounce mouse (audio)
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
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
plural mice ˈmīs How to pronounce mouse (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on mouse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!