mouse

[ noun mous; verb mouz ]

noun

, plural mice [mahys].

1. any of numerous small Old World rodents of the family Muridae, especially of the genus Mus, introduced widely in other parts of the world.
2. any similar small animal of various rodent and marsupial families.
3. a quiet, timid person.
4. Computers. a palm-sized, button-operated pointing device that can be used to move, select, activate, and change items on a computer screen. Compare joystick ( def 2 ), stylus ( def 3 ).
5. Informal. a swelling under the eye, caused by a blow or blows; black eye.
6. Slang. a girl or woman.

verb (used with object)

, moused, mous·ing.

1. to hunt out, as a cat hunts out mice.
2. Nautical. to secure with a mousing.

verb (used without object)

, moused, mous·ing.

1. to hunt for or catch mice.
2. to prowl about, as if in search of something:

   The burglar moused about for valuables.

3. to seek or search stealthily or watchfully, as if for prey.
4. Computers. to use a mouse to move the cursor on a computer screen to any position.

mouse

noun

1. any of numerous small long-tailed rodents of the families Muridae and Cricetidae that are similar to but smaller than rats See also fieldmouse harvest mouse house mouse murine
2. any of various related rodents, such as the jumping mouse
3. a quiet, timid, or cowardly person
4. computing a hand-held device used to control the cursor movement and select computing functions without keying
5. slang.
   a black eye
6. nautical another word for mousing

verb

1. to stalk and catch (mice)
2. intr to go about stealthily
3. tr nautical to secure (a hook) with mousing

mouse

/ mous /

, Plural mice mīs

1. 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.

mouse

1. 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

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈmouseˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• mouselike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mouse¹

before 900; Middle English mous (plural mis ), Old English mūs (plural mȳs ); cognate with German Maus, Old Norse mūs, Latin mūs, Greek mŷs

Word History and Origins

Origin of mouse¹

Old English mūs; compare Old Saxon mūs, German Maus, Old Norse mūs, Latin mūs, Greek mūs

Idioms and Phrases

see play cat and mouse ; poor as a churchmouse ; quiet as a mouse . Also see under mice .

Example Sentences

Each series is a cat-and-mouse story, with the hero and the villain identified from the beginning, though exactly who is the cat and who the mouse is an evolving, revolving situation.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’re scrambling like scared mice, moving from place to place. Lebanon is becoming like Gaza, with Israeli forces using the same tactics.”

From BBC

Any gamer will tell you that reaching for a controller or mouse and keyboard can boost their mental health, and Raye says it's no different for her.

From BBC

Asked to identify the people he claims threatened to kill him and his family, Rossi refused, telling the state prosecutor: "I don’t want to give a mouse cheese."

From BBC

“There was a piece of cracker, which a mouse stole from me at night. I hid it, and then the mouse probably stole it because I couldn’t find it.”

From BBC