This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
mouse
[ noun mous; verb mouz ]
/ noun maʊs; verb maʊz /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural mice [mahys]. /maɪs/.
verb (used with object), moused, mous·ing.
to hunt out, as a cat hunts out mice.
Nautical. to secure with a mousing.
verb (used without object), moused, mous·ing.
QUIZ
GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!
Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.
Question 1 of 9
Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?
Origin of mouse
before 900; Middle English mous (plural mis), Old English mūs (plural mȳs); cognate with German Maus,Old Norse mūs,Latin mūs,Greek mŷs
OTHER WORDS FROM mouse
mouselike, adjectiveWords nearby mouse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use mouse in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for mouse
mouse
noun (maʊs) plural mice (maɪs)
verb (maʊz)
Derived forms of mouse
mouselike, adjectiveWord Origin for mouse
Old English mūs; compare Old Saxon mūs, German Maus, Old Norse mūs, Latin mūs, Greek mūs
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for mouse
mouse
[ mous ]
Plural mice (mīs) or mouses
A hand-held input device that is moved about on a flat surface to direct the cursor on a computer screen. It also has buttons for activating computer functions. The underside of a mechanical mouse contains a rubber-coated ball that rotates as the mouse is moved; optical sensors detect the motion and move the screen pointer correspondingly. An optical mouse is cordless and uses reflections from an LED to track the mouse's movement over a special reflective mat which is marked with a grid that acts as a frame of reference.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for mouse
mouse
A common device that allows the user to reposition an arrow on their computer screen in order to activate desired applications. The term mouse comes from the appearance of the device, with the cord to the main computer being seen as a tail of sorts.
notes for mouse
The user usually sends signals to the computer when the user depresses or “clicks” a switch. A number of slang terms, such as “click on X” or “click and drag” have arisen from the appearance of symbols on a screen when a mouse is used.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with mouse
mouse
see play cat and mouse; poor as a churchmouse; quiet as a mouse. Also see under mice.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.