white-footed mouse

noun

white-foot·​ed mouse ˈ(h)wīt-ˌfu̇-təd- How to pronounce white-footed mouse (audio)
: 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

Illustration of white-footed mouse

Illustration of white-footed mouse

Examples of white-footed mouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white-footed mouse was in 1827

Rhymes for white-footed mouse

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Browse Nearby Words

whitefoot
white-footed mouse
white fox
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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.

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Medical Definition

white-footed mouse

noun
white-foot·​ed mouse ˌ(h)wīt-ˌfu̇t-əd- How to pronounce white-footed mouse (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on white-footed mouse

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about white-footed mouse

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