vole

1 of 2

noun (1)

: any of various small rodents (Microtus and related genera) that typically have a stout body, rather blunt nose, and short ears, inhabit both moist meadows and dry uplands and do much damage to crops, and are closely related to muskrats and lemmings

vole

2 of 2

noun (2)

Examples of vole 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.
Noun
The visitors Owls that live in the boreal forest in Canada, hundreds of miles away — great grays, boreal and northern hawk owls — have flown south to northeastern Minnesota in search of their preferred food, small rodents called voles. Dan Kraker, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025 Cats can kill between 6.3 billion and 22.3 billion mammals a year, mainly mice, voles, shrews, squirrels and rabbits, an article from Catster reported. Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025 The non-native mammals have wreaked havoc on indigenous birds and voles since their arrival on the Scottish islands 15 years ago. Abby Wilson, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Join 12 others in the comments View Comments One key aspect Roulin said needed further explanation was the behavior of voles under moonlight. Katie Hunt, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for vole

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

earlier vole-mouse, from vole- (of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse vǫllr field) + mouse; akin to Old English weald forest — more at wold

Noun (2)

French, probably from voler to fly — more at volley entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1805, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1679, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vole was in 1679

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vole. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

vole

noun
ˈvōl
: any of various small rodents that are closely related to the lemmings and muskrats but in general look like fat mice or rats and that are sometimes harmful to crops

Medical Definition

vole

noun
: any of various small rodents (family Cricetidae and especially genus Microtus) that typically have a stout body, rather blunt nose, and short ears, that inhabit both moist meadows and dry uplands and do much damage to crops, and that are closely related to muskrats and lemmings but in general resemble stocky mice or rats

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