house mouse

American  

noun

1. a brownish-gray Old World mouse, Mus musculus, now common in the U.S. in or near houses.

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house mouse British  

noun

1. any of various greyish mice of the Old World genus Mus, esp M. musculus, a common household pest in most parts of the world: family Muridae

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Etymology

Origin of house mouse

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Through comparative analysis, the team showed that similar specialized gene expression patterns are also employed by other animals -- including the house mouse -- during diapause.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

“We’re the most successful mammal on the planet Earth. The house mouse is the second-most successful. Then rats probably come in third,” he says.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2023

The species is native to Europe and about the size of a house mouse.

From Science Magazine • May 9, 2022

Subspecies of the house mouse have diverged to such an extent that when they mix, they often beget sterile males.

From New York Times • Aug. 14, 2014

Trap-lines totaling one hundred mouse traps, set on August 6 and August 18, took on the first nights two prairie white-footed mice, one house mouse, and one young thirteen-striped ground squirrel.

From The Mammals of Warren Woods, Berrien County, Michigan Occasional Paper of the Museum of Zoology, Number 86 by Dice, Lee Raymond