case

¹

[ keys ]

noun

1. an instance of the occurrence, existence, etc., of something:

   Sailing in such a storm was a case of poor judgment.

2. the actual state of things:

   That is not the case.

3. a question or problem of moral conduct; matter:

   a case of conscience.

4. situation; circumstance; plight:

   Mine is a sad case.

5. a person or thing whose plight or situation calls for attention:

   This family is a hardship case.

6. a specific occurrence or matter requiring discussion, decision, or investigation, as by officials or law-enforcement authorities:

   The police studied the case of the missing jewels.

7. a stated argument used to support a viewpoint:

   He presented a strong case against the proposed law.

8. an instance of disease, injury, etc., requiring medical or surgical attention or treatment; individual affliction:

   She had a severe case of chicken pox.

9. a medical or surgical patient.
10. Law.
    1. a suit or action at law; cause.
    2. a set of facts giving rise to a legal claim, or to a defense to a legal claim.
11. Grammar.
    1. a category in the inflection of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, noting the syntactic relation of these words to other words in the sentence, indicated by the form or the position of the words.
    2. a set of such categories in a particular language.
    3. the meaning of or the meaning typical of such a category.
    4. such categories or their meanings collectively.
12. Informal. a peculiar or unusual person:

    He's a case.

case

²

[ keys ]

noun

1. an often small or portable container for enclosing something, as for carrying or safekeeping; receptacle:

   a jewel case.

2. a sheath or outer covering:

   a knife case.

3. a box with its contents:

   a case of ginger ale.

4. the amount contained in a box or other container:

   There are a dozen bottles to a case.

5. a pair or couple; brace:

   a case of pistols.

6. a surrounding frame or framework, as of a door.
7. Bookbinding. a completed book cover ready to be fitted to form the binding of a book.
8. Printing. a tray of wood, metal, or plastic, divided into compartments for holding types for the use of a compositor and usually arranged in a set of two, the upper upper case for capital letters and often auxiliary types, the lower lower case for small letters and often auxiliary types, now generally replaced by the California job case. Compare news case.
9. a cavity in the skull of a sperm whale, containing an oil from which spermaceti is obtained.
10. Also called case card. Cards. the last card of a suit or denomination that remains after the other cards have been played:

    a case heart;

    the case jack.

11. Faro. casebox.
12. Southeastern U.S. (chiefly South Carolina). a coin of a particular denomination, as opposed to the same amount in change:

    a case quarter.

13. Metallurgy. the hard outer part of a piece of casehardened steel.

verb (used with object)

, cased, cas·ing.

1. to put or enclose in a case; cover with a case.
2. Slang. to examine or survey (a house, bank, etc.) in planning a crime (sometimes followed by out ):

   They cased the joint and decided to pull the job on Sunday.

3. to fuse a layer of glass onto (glass of a contrasting color or of different properties).
4. to cover (a surface of a wall, well, shaft, etc.) with a facing or lining; revet.
5. Bookbinding. to bind (a book) in a case.
6. Cards Slang.
   1. to arrange (cards or a pack of cards) in a dishonest manner.
   2. to remember the quantity, suit, or denomination of (the cards played).

case

¹

/ keɪs /

noun

1. 1. a container, such as a box or chest
   2. ( in combination )

      suitcase

      briefcase

2. an outer cover or sheath, esp for a watch
3. a receptacle and its contents

   a case of ammunition

4. a pair or brace, esp of pistols
5. architect another word for casing
6. a completed cover ready to be fastened to a book to form its binding
7. printing a tray divided into many compartments in which a compositor keeps individual metal types of a particular size and style. Cases were originally used in pairs, one (the upper case) for capitals, the other (the lower case) for small letters See also upper case lower case
8. metallurgy the surface of a piece of steel that has been case-hardened

verb

1. to put into or cover with a case

   to case the machinery

2. slang.
   to inspect carefully (esp a place to be robbed)

case

²

/ keɪs /

noun

1. a single instance, occurrence, or example of something
2. an instance of disease, injury, hardship, etc
3. a question or matter for discussion

   the case before the committee

4. a specific condition or state of affairs; situation
5. a set of arguments supporting a particular action, cause, etc
6. 1. a person attended or served by a doctor, social worker, solicitor, etc; patient or client
   2. ( as modifier )

      a case study

7. 1. an action or suit at law or something that forms sufficient grounds for bringing an action

      he has a good case

   2. the evidence offered in court to support a claim
8. grammar
   1. a set of grammatical categories of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, marked by inflection in some languages, indicating the relation of the noun, adjective, or pronoun to other words in the sentence
   2. any one of these categories

      the nominative case

9. informal.
   a person in or regarded as being in a specified condition

   he's a mental case

   the accident victim was a hospital case

10. informal.
    a person of a specified character (esp in the phrase a hard case )
11. informal.
    an odd person; eccentric
12. informal.
    love or infatuation
13. short for case shot See canister
14. as the case may be
    according to the circumstances
15. in any case
    adverb no matter what; anyhow

    we will go in any case

16. in case
    adverb
    1. in order to allow for eventualities
    2. as conjunction in order to allow for the possibility that

       take your coat in case it rains

    3. if
17. in case of
    preposition in the event of
18. in no case
    adverb under no circumstances

    in no case should you fight back

case

1. A grammatical category indicating whether nouns and pronouns are functioning as the subject of a sentence ( nominative case ) or the object of a sentence ( objective case ), or are indicating possession ( possessive case ). He is in the nominative case, him is in the objective case, and his is in the possessive case. In a language such as English, nouns do not change their form in the nominative or objective case. Only pronouns do. Thus, ball stays the same in both “the ball is thrown,” where it is the subject, and in “Harry threw the ball ,” where it is the object.

Other Words From

• caseless adjective
• caseless·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of case¹

First recorded before 1150; Middle English ca(a)s, from Anglo-French, Old French cas, from Latin cāsus “fall, accident, event, grammatical case” (translation of Greek ptôsis ), equivalent to cad(ere) “to fall” + -tus suffix of verb action; compare Old English cāsus “grammatical case”

Origin of case²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cas, from Anglo-French cas(s)e, Old French chasse, from Latin capsa “cylindrical case for holding books in scroll form, receptacle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of case¹

C13: from Old French casse, from Latin capsa, from capere to take, hold

Origin of case²

Old English casus (grammatical) case, associated also with Old French cas a happening; both from Latin cāsus, a befalling, occurrence, from cadere to fall

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get off someone's case, Slang. to stop bothering or criticizing someone or interfering in someone's affairs:

   I've had enough of your advice, so just get off my case.

2. get / be on someone's case, Slang. to bother or nag someone; meddle in someone's affairs:

   Her brother is always on her case about getting married. Why do you keep getting on my case?

3. have a case on, Slang. to be infatuated with:

   He had a case on the girl next door.

4. in any case, regardless of circumstances; be that as it may; anyhow:

   In any case, there won't be any necessity for you to come along.

5. in case of, in the event of; if there should be:

   In case of an error in judgment, the group leader will be held responsible.

6. in case, if it should happen that; if:

   In case I am late, don't wait to start dinner.

7. in no case, under no condition; never:

   He should in no case be allowed to get up until he has completely recovered from his illness.

More idioms and phrases containing case

In addition to the idiom beginning with case , also see basket case ; get down to brass tacks (cases) ; have a case on ; in any case ; in case of ; in no case ; in the case of ; just in case ; make a federal case ; off someone's back (case) ; open and shut case .

Synonym Study

Case, instance, example, illustration suggest the existence or occurrence of a particular thing representative of its type. Case and instance are closely allied in meaning, as are example and illustration. Case is a general word, meaning a fact, occurrence, or situation typical of a class: a case of assault and battery. An instance is a concrete factual case which is adduced to explain a general idea: an instance of a brawl in which an assault occurred. An example is one typical case, usually from many similar ones, used to make clear or explain the working of a principle (what may be expected of any others of the group): This boy is an example of the effect of strict discipline. An illustration exemplifies a theory or principle similarly, except that the choice may be purely hypothetical: The work of Seeing Eye dogs is an illustration of what is thought to be intelligence in animals.

Example Sentences

Days after a human skull and bones washed ashore on a beach in Palos Verdes Estates, authorities are still trying to identify the decedent and the case of death, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

However, it denies any bias, pointing to the fact that some cases were self-referred by the country affected, or referred to it by the UN.

From BBC

So, at both ends it is a case of minor details; mistakes at the back, profligate finishing up front.

From BBC

Vance on Wednesday to make the case for his first choice.

From Salon

A grand jury re-established the charges after a special prosecutor took on the case.

From BBC

Related Words

• action
• argument
• cause
• claim
• dispute
• evidence
• lawsuit
• litigation
• petition
• suit
• trial

More About Case

What is a basic definition of case?

A case is an instance or example of something, a container for storing something, or a matter that is being investigated by law enforcement or official agents. Case has many other senses as a noun and a verb.

A case is something you can point to as an example of something. This sense of case is often used in reference to illness, such as a patient having a bad case of malaria.

Real-life examples: If you go out in a thunderstorm with an umbrella and a raincoat, that would be a case of good judgement. The stone Sphinx in Egypt is a case of the amazing building powers of the ancient Egyptians.

Used in a sentence: I had a minor case of food poisoning yesterday. 

A case is also a box or container that is used to keep something safe. It is usually small and is often designed specifically for a particular item. Sometimes, another term is used with case to describe exactly what is supposed to be stored in the case, as in knife case.

Real-life examples: Guitars are often stored in guitar cases. Many people keep their eyeglasses in a glasses case. Smokers might have a cigarette case.

Used in a sentence: He tried to break into the jewelry case.

Lastly, a case is a matter or investigation that law enforcement or other officials are pursuing or working on. Detectives and other investigators are likely to be assigned or take on cases that they must research and try to find details about.

Real-life examples: Police detectives often get assigned murder cases, burglary cases, kidnapping cases, and many other cases that require investigation. The famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes pursued many interesting cases that required his amazing deductive skills.

Used in a sentence: The detective gathered clues while investigating the arson case. 

Where does case come from?

The first records of case come from before the 1150s. The sense of case meaning “an instance” ultimately comes from the Latin cāsus, meaning “a befalling” or “an occurrence.” The sense of case meaning “a container” ultimately comes from the Latin capsa, meaning “a receptacle for books.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to case?

• caseless (adjective)
• caselessly (adverb)
• caser (noun)
• well-cased (adjective)

What are some synonyms for case?

• example
• instance
• situation
• container
• box
• chest

What are some words that share a root or word element with case? 

• encase
• casebook
• caseworker
• in any case
• case in point

What are some words that often get used in discussing case?

• illness
• detective
• judge
• trial
• instrument
• glasses
• cigars

How is case used in real life?

Case is a very common word that most often means an example or an instance.

A case of poor labelling has sparked another interstate wine battle between California and Oregon.

— Wine Searcher (@WineSearcher) March 1, 2019

Delhi: ANI journalist Joy Pillai was robbed by three men at gunpoint in Laxmi Nagar area when he was returning from work last night. "A case of robbery has been registered at Shakarpur Police Station," say Delhi Police.

— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2020

When I see someone using an iPhone with no phone case, I become immediately stressed. Talk about living life on the edge!

— Jaclyn Hill (@Jaclynhill) June 25, 2018

 

 

Try using case!

Is case used correctly in the following sentence?

He forgot his keys at home in another case of bad memory.