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pocket mouse

American

noun

any of numerous burrowing rodents, especially of the genus Perognathus, chiefly inhabiting arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, having fur-lined cheek pouches and a long tail.

pocket mouse British

noun

any small mouselike rodent with cheek pouches, of the genus Perognathus, of desert regions of W North America: family Heteromyidae

"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

Etymology

Origin of pocket mouse

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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.

By the 1970s, scientists believed that the Pacific pocket mouse had become extinct.

From NewsForKids.net • Feb. 14, 2023

Pat is a Pacific pocket mouse, which is the smallest kind of mouse in North America.

From NewsForKids.net • Feb. 14, 2023

At nine years and 209 days old, the Pacific pocket mouse named Pat pocketed the Guinness World Record on Wednesday, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2023

The desert pocket mouse, for example, can live without water for months, in part because of the extreme extent to which its kidneys can concentrate urine.

From Scientific American • Jun. 15, 2021

This pocket mouse is not uncommon in areas of short grass and sage in Harding County.

From Mammals of Northwestern South Dakota by Andersen, Kenneth W.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023