harvest mouse
Americannoun
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an Old World field mouse, Micromys minutus, that builds a spherical nest among the stems of grains and other plants.
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any of several New World mice of the genus Reithrodontomys having similar habits.
noun
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a very small reddish-brown Eurasian mouse, Micromys minutus, inhabiting cornfields, hedgerows, etc, and feeding on grain and seeds: family Muridae
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American harvest mouse any small greyish mouse of the American genus Reithrodontomys: family Cricetidae
Etymology
Origin of harvest mouse
First recorded in 1805–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Marot's job was to film close up shots of Sir David's hands as he gently encouraged a harvest mouse to cling to the grasses of a meadow.
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026
In Greenford, west London, Sir David gently cradles a tiny harvest mouse before releasing it into a meadow.
From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025
He was also the first to describe the harvest mouse and noctule bat.
From The Guardian • May 11, 2018
The Old World harvest mouse, as its name suggests, is native to Europe and Asia.
From National Geographic • Nov. 14, 2015
“Hurry, get the six best field and harvest mouse archers! Those birds have got to be stopped immediately.”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
