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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Using a bird feeder baffle and keeping the feeder a distance away from trees will help ward off squirrels, mice, and raccoons. Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2024 Although the research involved mice, Oka says, a similar system is probably present in people, whose digestive tracts are quite similar. Jon Hamilton, NPR, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
The click-through rate, industry-wide, is less than 1 percent—and chalk some of that up to mouse error and click fraud. IEEE Spectrum, 31 May 2011 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 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 24 Dec. 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

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