1 B1 informal
To move the computer mouse or cursor around the screen to explore different areas, menus, or options.
"Mouse around the homepage and see if you can find the settings option."
mouse around
B2 informal intransitive
To move the cursor around a screen or interface to explore its contents or find something.
In plain English
Move your mouse pointer around on the computer screen to look at different parts.
What does "mouse around" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic informal
To move around cautiously or quietly, like a mouse, exploring or searching without drawing attention.
"He was mousing around the office late at night, looking for the missing files."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To move around as a mouse does — quietly exploring different corners of a space.
Actually means
Move your mouse pointer around on the computer screen to look at different parts.
Usage tip
Primarily used in informal digital or tech contexts. Not widely recorded in dictionaries as a fixed phrasal verb. Also occasionally used to mean moving about cautiously or quietly, like a mouse — though this sense is even rarer.
Words that pair with "mouse around"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
screen interface website menu desktop
How to conjugate "mouse around"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
mouse around
I/you/we/they
3rd person
mouses around
he/she/it
Past simple
moused around
yesterday
Past participle
moused around
have + pp
-ing form
mousing around
continuous
Hear "mouse around" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "mouse around" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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