mice

[ mahys ]

/ maɪs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mice ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

plural of mouse.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mice

mice mouses

Words nearby mice

mica, micaceous, micah, micawber, miccosukee, mice, micelle, mich, mich., michael, michael viii

Definition for mice (2 of 2)

mouse

[ noun mous; verb mouz ]

/ noun maʊs; verb maʊz /

noun, plural mice [mahys] /maɪs/.

any of numerous small Old World rodents of the family Muridae, especially of the genus Mus, introduced widely in other parts of the world.

any similar small animal of various rodent and marsupial families.

a quiet, timid person.

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).

Informal. a swelling under the eye, caused by a blow or blows; black eye.

Slang. a girl or woman.

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.

to hunt for or catch mice.

to prowl about, as if in search of something: The burglar moused about for valuables.

to seek or search stealthily or watchfully, as if for prey.

Computers. to use a mouse to move the cursor on a computer screen to any position.

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

mouse·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mouse

mice mouses mouse mousse

Example sentences from the Web for mice

A just-published study in the journal Nature explored how mice reacted to a diet of artificial sweeteners.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Wrecking Your Diet? |DailyBurn |September 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Then again, are all mice with round heads and ears copyrighted by Disney?

Mickey Mouse Takes Deadmau5 to Court |Jay Michaelson |September 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Without the beeps and whirs of a cellphone, you can use your ears to detect crickets, mice, or other vermin in your home.

Aubrey Plaza’s Great Disconnect |Aubrey Plaza |August 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And Leighton Meester pens feminist essay on 'Of Mice and Men.'

Man Arrested For Posing As Johnny Depp's Stylist; Patrick Schwarzenegger and Gigi Hadid Front Tom Ford Eyewear Campaign |The Fashion Beast Team |July 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The mice were grafted with 100% hairless human skin and then administered the drug.

Can This Arthritis Drug Cure Baldness? |Erin Cunningham |June 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Like rats, mice appear to act in companies, either under leadership or by common consent.

Natural History in Anecdote |Various
It is best to have the trap set so that mice nibbling at bait will not throw it.

Deadfalls and Snares |A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding
In this world we are beings of one of two orders—we are either men or mice.

The Idol of The Blind |Tom Gallon
Sometimes the mice would exit and enter through the top of the nest.

Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado |Charles L. Douglas
One snake is worth a dozen traps, for the reptile prowls into the burrows and nests of rats and mice and eats the entire brood.

Zoology: The Science of Animal Life |Ernest Ingersoll

British Dictionary definitions for mice (1 of 2)

mice

/ (maɪs) /

noun

the plural of mouse

British Dictionary definitions for mice (2 of 2)

mouse

noun (maʊs) plural mice (maɪs)

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 Related adjective: murine

any of various related rodents, such as the jumping mouse

a quiet, timid, or cowardly person

computing a hand-held device used to control the cursor movement and select computing functions without keying

slang a black eye

nautical another word for mousing

verb (maʊz)

to stalk and catch (mice)

(intr) to go about stealthily

(tr) nautical to secure (a hook) with mousing

Derived forms of mouse

mouselike, adjective

Word Origin for mouse

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

Scientific definitions for mice

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.

Cultural definitions for mice

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.

Idioms and Phrases with mice (1 of 2)

mice

see best-laid plans of mice and men; when the cat's away, mice will play. Also see under mouse.

Idioms and Phrases with mice (2 of 2)

mouse

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

mice

noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mice

Words nearby mice

Definition for mice (2 of 2)

noun, plural mice [mahys] /maɪs/.

verb (used with object), moused, mous·ing.

verb (used without object), moused, mous·ing.

Origin of mouse

OTHER WORDS FROM mouse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mouse

Example sentences from the Web for mice

British Dictionary definitions for mice (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for mice (2 of 2)

noun (maʊs) plural mice (maɪs)

verb (maʊz)

Derived forms of mouse

Word Origin for mouse

Scientific definitions for mice

Plural mice (mīs) or mouses

Cultural definitions for mice

notes for mouse

Idioms and Phrases with mice (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with mice (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

mice

noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mice

Words nearby mice

Definition for mice (2 of 2)

noun, plural mice [mahys] /maɪs/.

verb (used with object), moused, mous·ing.

verb (used without object), moused, mous·ing.

Origin of mouse

OTHER WORDS FROM mouse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mouse

Words related to mice

Example sentences from the Web for mice

British Dictionary definitions for mice (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for mice (2 of 2)

noun (maʊs) plural mice (maɪs)

verb (maʊz)

Derived forms of mouse

Word Origin for mouse

Scientific definitions for mice

Plural mice (mīs) or mouses

Cultural definitions for mice

notes for mouse

Idioms and Phrases with mice (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with mice (2 of 2)