Illustration of white-footed mouse
white-footed mouse
noun
white-foot·ed mouse
ˈ(h)wīt-ˌfu̇-təd- 
: any of various largely nocturnal mice (genus Peromyscus) of North and Central America typically having whitish feet and underparts
especially
: a common woodland mouse (P. leucopus) of North America
Examples of white-footed mouse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their Shocking Causes of Death Revealed by Authorities Hantavirus is an infectious disease that’s normally spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and the white-footed mouse.
—
Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Winter conditions could send house mice and white-footed mice indoors.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
In fact, the white-footed mouse is presumably the most numerous native mammal in our state.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2025
Vandegrift has speculated that mice might act as an intermediate host, but tests his team did of white-footed mice living near a research colony of deer infected with SARS‐CoV‑2 came back negative.
—Jon Cohen, science.org, 29 Apr. 2024
For example, white-footed mice, the main carriers of Lyme disease, have become one of the most dominant species in their habitat as other, rarer animals have disappeared—a change that might have played a role, among other factors, in driving rising rates of Lyme disease in the United States.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024
The natural reservoir for these bacteria are small mammals like the white-footed mouse.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2023
Think owls, foxes, and coyotes, who prey on white-footed mice, a vector for lyme disease that ticks catch when feeding on the mice.
—Benjamin Vogt, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2023
These ticks are about the size of a poppy seed and found on small mammals like the white-footed mice living in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023
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Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Winter conditions could send house mice and white-footed mice indoors.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
In fact, the white-footed mouse is presumably the most numerous native mammal in our state.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2025
Vandegrift has speculated that mice might act as an intermediate host, but tests his team did of white-footed mice living near a research colony of deer infected with SARS‐CoV‑2 came back negative.
—Jon Cohen, science.org, 29 Apr. 2024
For example, white-footed mice, the main carriers of Lyme disease, have become one of the most dominant species in their habitat as other, rarer animals have disappeared—a change that might have played a role, among other factors, in driving rising rates of Lyme disease in the United States.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024
The natural reservoir for these bacteria are small mammals like the white-footed mouse.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2023
Think owls, foxes, and coyotes, who prey on white-footed mice, a vector for lyme disease that ticks catch when feeding on the mice.
—Benjamin Vogt, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2023
These ticks are about the size of a poppy seed and found on small mammals like the white-footed mice living in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“White-footed mouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-footed%20mouse. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
white-footed mouse
noun
white-foot·ed mouse
ˌ(h)wīt-ˌfu̇t-əd-
: a common woodland mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) that has whitish feet and underparts and that is a reservoir for the spirochete of the genus Borrelia (B. burgdorferi) causing Lyme disease
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