What does mouses mean?
Mouses has two related grammatical uses. As a noun, it is an uncommon plural of mouse, especially useful when individual rodents are being referred to or when a speaker wants to distinguish several separate animals. In ordinary English, however, mice is the standard and overwhelmingly preferred plural. As a verb, mouses is the third-person singular present tense of mouse. The verb describes moving cautiously, furtively, or in a searching manner, particularly when someone is trying not to be noticed or is looking for prey or a smaller animal. The distinction is therefore partly grammatical: “mouses” is a plural noun in one use and an inflected verb in the other. The noun ultimately comes from Old English mūs, while the verb developed from the noun during the Middle English period. Although mouses is correct in its established contexts, mice remains the normal plural in contemporary usage.
An uncommon plural form of mouse, used especially when individual mice are referred to; mice is the usual plural.
"Each cage was checked for mouses before the experiment began."
This plural is nonstandard in most general contexts and is chiefly used when separate individual animals are meant.
The third-person singular present form of mouse, meaning to move cautiously or search in a stealthy manner.
"The cat mouses beside the food cupboard."
This is an inflected form and is used with third-person singular subjects in the present tense.
Mice is the standard plural of mouse. Mouses is an uncommon alternative, chiefly used when individual mice are being referred to.
"Several mice emerged from the hole in the wall."
The familiar plural of mouse is mice, so the occasional mouses is a reminder that English has more than one way to say more than one rodent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mouses come from?
Mouses is an inflected form of mouse, whose noun descends from Old English mūs and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mūs. The verb mouse developed from the noun during the Middle English period, originally in the sense of hunting for mice and later also in the sense of moving stealthily. Latin mus, a cognate of the Germanic word, gave rise to forms such as musculus and musculus-derived muscular.
Related word forms
How mouses is actually used
As a noun, mouses is nonstandard in ordinary general English, where mice is preferred, though it can clarify that separate animals are meant. As a verb form, mouses is standard inflectional usage and is chiefly used in the third-person singular present.
Easily confused with mouses
Mice is the standard plural of mouse, whereas mouses is an uncommon plural used chiefly when individual animals are being referred to.
Mousse is a creamy dessert or a soft foam, while mouses is an inflected form of mouse.