mouse
mouse Lexical Profile
mouse Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small rodent, typically of the genus Mus, characterized by a pointed snout, small rounded ears, and a long scaly tail, often found living in or near human dwellings.
"The cat patiently waited by the hole, hoping to catch the mouse that had been scuttling across the kitchen floor."
A hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface, used to control the graphical user interface of a computer.
"She clicked the right button on her mouse to open the drop-down menu."
A quiet, timid, shy, or unassertive person.
"In meetings, he was often a mouse, too afraid of conflict to voice his brilliant ideas."
• verb
To use a computer mouse to navigate, point, or click on a graphical user interface.
"He moused over the hyperlink to see where the URL would direct him."
To hunt or catch mice (typically done by cats, owls, or other predators).
"The barn owl spends the twilight hours mousing in the tall grass at the edge of the field."
To move about quietly, stealthily, or timidly.
"She moused around the darkened house, trying not to wake her sleeping roommates."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the computer device, the plural can be accepted as either 'mice' or 'mouses', whereas the biological animal is strictly pluralized as 'mice'.
• Rhymes for mouse
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'mūs', from Proto-Germanic '*mūs', descending directly from the Proto-Indo-European root '*múhs' (meaning 'mouse'). It is one of the oldest preserved words in the Indo-European language family.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.