ENGLISH
REFERENCE

mouse

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈmaʊs// mouse Archaic General-service

n. a small animal with a long tail, or a small device you move with your hand to control a computer screen.

n. a small rodent with a pointed snout and long tail; also, a handheld pointing device used to manipulate a graphical user interface on a computer.


SIMPLE

I use a wireless mouse with my laptop.

CONTEXTUAL

The cursor stopped moving because the battery in the wireless mouse was dead.

COMPLEX

While the mouse remains the primary input device for desktop computing, touchscreens and trackpads have become the dominant interfaces for mobile and portable hardware.

Synonyms
Usage

The plural for the animal is 'mice'; for the computer device, both 'mice' and 'mouses' are accepted, though 'mice' is more common.

Pitfall

I saw three mouses in the garden.I saw three mice in the garden.When referring to the animal, the irregular plural 'mice' must be used.

Idioms5 entries

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