mouse

MOWS/maʊs/

Pluralmice, mouses

Verbmouses, mousing, moused

15 meanings of mouse

Practice

1
small rodentnouncountable
A small furry animal with a pointed nose, round ears and a long thin tail.
A tiny mouse ran across the kitchen floor and vanished under the stove.
The cat sat very still, watching a mouse near the bag of grain.
UsageOne mouse, two mice.
Note
2
computer devicenouncountable
A small device you move with your hand to control the arrow on a computer screen.
Like a TV remote, but moving it moves the arrow on your screen.
Click the left button on your mouse to open the file.
She slid the mouse across the desk and clicked its left button twice.
UsageTwo mice for computers too. The arrow is the pointer.
3
navigate (computer)verbintransitive
To move around on a computer screen by using a mouse.
You can mouse over the icon to see what it is called.
You can mouse over a word to see its meaning.
UsageSay mouse over something: move the arrow onto it.
Note

Less common meanings

4
shy personnouncountable
A very quiet, shy person who avoids attention.
Like someone who hides in the back and hopes no one will notice them.
He was such a mouse that he never spoke up in class.
Don't be a mouse. Tell them what you really think.
Similarwallflower
5
creepverbintransitive
To move slowly and quietly, the way a mouse does.
He moused around the dark room, feeling for the light switch.
She likes to mouse about the attic when no one else is home.
Similarcreep, sneak, tiptoe, steal
6
hunt (cats)verbintransitive
To hunt and catch mice, the way a cat does.
The farm cats mouse all night out in the barn.
Our older cat still loves to mouse in the long grass.
UsageSay the cat goes mousing.
Note
7
black eyenouncountable
A bruise or swelling on the face, especially a black eye, usually from being hit.
Like a puffy purple lump that swells up after a hard bump.
He came home from the fight with a nasty mouse under his eye.
The trainer pressed ice against the mouse on the boxer's cheek.
UsageMost people say black eye or bruise.
Similarshiner, bruise
Note
8
noun
A small cut of beef from the back leg, next to the round.
9
noun
A burning cord used to fire a gun or set off an explosion.
10
noun
A loop of cord or a metal clasp tied across a hook to keep it from coming undone.
11
verb
To wrap cord or wire across a hook's opening or a shackle's pin so nothing slips or comes loose.
12
noun
In advanced math, a small structure that follows the core rules of set theory and behaves in helpful ways.
13
noun
A small pad worn under the hair to give it more shape or height.
14
nounobsolete
A loving nickname for someone you care about.
Let the bloat King tempt you again to bed, / Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse
c. 1599, William Shakespeare, HamletHere, mouse is a loving nickname for a sweetheart.
15
verbobsolete
To rip or tear something apart, the way a cat shreds its prey.
[Death] mousing the flesh of men.
c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”Here, mousing means tearing apart, the way a cat tears a mouse.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of mouse apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Old English mūs, going back to an ancient Proto-Indo-European root. The computer meaning first appears in a 1965 report led by engineer Bill English, and the name came from the device looking like the animal.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

Mouse descends from Old English mūs and ultimately a Proto-Indo-European root. en.wiktionary.org
The earliest recorded computing use is in the 1965 report Computer-Aided Display Control. en.wikipedia.org
Bill English led the report. srialumni.org
Bill English was an engineer. en.wikipedia.org
The device's resemblance to a mouse explains its name. sri.com