Word
vole
UK/vˈəʊl/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a small animal like a mouse with a short tail and thick fur. It lives in fields and eats grass and seeds.
n. a small burrowing rodent with a stocky body, short tail, and dense fur, found in fields and grasslands.
Examples
“A vole hides under the dry grass.”
“The farmer spots vole holes along the edge of the wheat field.”
“At dusk the owl hunts silently above the meadow, listening for the faint rustle of a vole moving through the roots.”
Examples
simple
“A vole hides under the dry grass.”
contextual
“The farmer spots vole holes along the edge of the wheat field.”
complex
“At dusk the owl hunts silently above the meadow, listening for the faint rustle of a vole moving through the roots.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “vole” in context.
Verb
01. release vole
“Volunteers release voles near the river to rebuild numbers.”
verb + noun
02. study vole
“Scientists study voles to understand grassland ecosystems.”
verb + noun
03. trap vole
“Farmers trap voles to protect young crops in spring.”
verb + noun
04. vole burrows
“The vole burrows under the snow for shelter in winter.”
noun + verb
Adjective
05. bank vole
“A bank vole stored seeds under the fallen logs.”
noun + noun
06. common vole
“The common vole lives in meadows across Europe.”
adj + noun
07. field vole
“We spotted a field vole darting through the long grass.”
noun + noun
08. tiny vole
“A tiny vole disappeared into the hedge.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. vole burrow
“The dog sniffed around a vole burrow at the field edge.”
noun + noun
10. a colony of voles
“A colony of voles lives under the old barn.”
11. protect endangered water voles
“Conservationists work to protect endangered water voles.”
12. the vole scurried for cover
“Startled, the vole scurried for cover.”
Etymology
Borrowed from Norn vollj, from Old Norse vǫllr (“field”), from Proto-Germanic *walþuz (“forest”). The Orkney dialectal term vole mouse, lit. “field mouse”, was introduced to general English by George Barry in 1805; John Fleming in 1828 was first to refer to the creature by the epithet vole alone. Displaced earlier names for these species which also classified them as mice, e.g. short-tailed field mouse.
Borrowed from French vole.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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