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field mouse

field mouse

4 2.1
A small wild mouse that lives in fields or meadows
  • noun
  • /fiːld maʊs/
translation icon : ratón de campo
  • The wild grass and scattered scrub oaks on the descending slopes provide homes for hawks, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, field mice, and snakes.
  • a little field mouse
  • a family of field mice
  • a brown field mouse

At the side of the lane to the Ford, I found a long tail field mouse feeding on a slope of grass.

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Examples

  • I bet he saw old Stinson's tabby chasing after a field mouse.

  • A snowy owl pounded through the trees, hard on the trail of a field mouse.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • ...remember, the field mouse is fast, but the owl sees at night.

  • A field mouse skittered off.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Once upon a time, there was a hungry serpent and a lonely field mouse who needed a friend.

  • We found evidence of field mice in one of our cars, confirmed when they loosened wires so that the car didn't always start.

    Blog text (6)
  • This spring, even the field mice were shocked back indoors, nesting in insulation.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • But mostly, the basement stood deserted, hung with cobwebs, and was invaded each year by families of field mice.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • A field mouse, its eyes squinting, clung to a floating twig.

    Academic text (1993)
  • While walking through the meadow, I spotted a field mouse darting between the tall grass.

Synonyms

mouse
vsfield mouse
587 1.0

A small animal with a pointed nose, small ears, and a long tail

is more specific referring mainly to those that live in fields
fieldmouse
vsfield mouse
  • UK
4.9

A small mouse that lives in fields, woods, or gardens and is active at night

is a general small rodent usually living in fields and meadows

Surface Forms

field mouse singular
field mice plural

Morphology

field + mouse

The meaning 'a small mouse found in fields' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'field' (an area of open land) with 'mouse' (a small rodent); the compound denotes the type/location of the animal. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows a basic noun+noun naming strategy, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

The noun field mouse comes from the simple picture of a small mouse living in open fields, so it means 'a small mouse found in fields or meadows'.