Mice Meaning
/maɪs/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounplural of mouse
verbTo be distracted or inattentive (possibly alluding to a cat being distracted by a mouse).
Sentence Examples
When the cat is away, the mice will play.
He says he must get rid of the mice that are in the attic.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The laboratory used specially bred ____ to test the new vaccine's safety.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hungry cat sat patiently by the small hole in the wall, waiting for the little ____ to come out and play.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English mys, mice, muis, mise, mis, from Old English mȳs (“mice”), from an umlauted form of Proto-Germanic *mūsiz (“mice”), nominative and vocative plural of Proto-Germanic *mūs (“mouse”). Compare Scots mice, mise, myse, myce (“mice”), West Frisian mûzen (“mice”), Dutch muizen (“mice”), German Mäuse (“mice”), Swedish möss (“mice”), Faroese mýs (“mice”), Icelandic mýs (“mice”). More at mouse.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"That cat's mysin, he doesn't see the dog coming."
— 1984, Peter A. Smith, Fred M. Barritt, Bermewjan Vurds, Island Press:
"A breakfast diner might describe an incident with someone who was "not too tightly wrapped". Or not wanting to waste time on someone who was always "micin". Another breakfast guest might explode with "what'chu mean?", only to be told half-jokingly, “Bie ... shut yor mouth”."
— 2015 December 9, Jack Gauntlett, “Bermudian sayings always raise a smile”, in The Royal Gazette, archived from the original on 11 Dec 2022:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The laboratory used specially bred ____ to test the new vaccine's safety.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hungry cat sat patiently by the small hole in the wall, waiting for the little ____ to come out and play.