Meaning of case in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /keɪs/

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  1. Verb

    case

    Definitions

    1. look over, usually with the intention to rob

    Examples

    • « They men cased the housed »
  2. 2. enclose in, or as if in, a case

    Examples

    • « my feet were encased in mud »

    Derived terms

  3. Noun

    case

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old French cas, from Latin casus‘fall’, related to cadere‘to fall’; in case (sense 4) directly from Latin, translating Greek ptōsis, literally ‘fall’

    Definitions

    1. a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy

    Examples

    • « the family brought suit against the landlord »

    Derived terms

  4. 2. an occurrence of something

    Examples

    • « it was a case of bad judgment »
    • « another instance occurred yesterday »
    • « but there is always the famous example of the Smiths »

    Derived terms

  5. 3. a special set of circumstances

    Examples

    • « in that event, the first possibility is excluded »
    • « it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled »
  6. 4. a problem requiring investigation

    Examples

    • « Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir »
  7. 5. the actual state of things

    Examples

    • « that was not the case »
  8. 6. a statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument

    Examples

    • « he stated his case clearly »
  9. 7. a portable container for carrying several objects

    Examples

    • « the musicians left their instrument cases backstage »

    Derived terms

  10. 8. a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures

    Examples

    • « someone who is an object of investigation »
    • « the subjects for this investigation were selected randomly »
    • « the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities »
  11. 9. a person requiring professional services

    Examples

    • « a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor »
  12. 10. the quantity contained in a case

    Derived terms

  13. 11. a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home

    Derived terms

  14. 12. a specific state of mind that is temporary

    Examples

    • « a case of the jitters »
  15. 13. nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
  16. 14. the housing or outer covering of something

    Examples

    • « the clock has a walnut case »

    Derived terms

  17. 15. a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)

    Examples

    • « a real character »
    • « a strange character »
    • « a friendly eccentric »
    • « the capable type »
    • « a mental case »

    Derived terms

  18. 16. an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part

    Derived terms

  19. 17. the enclosing frame around a door or window opening

    Examples

    • « the casings had rotted away and had to be replaced »
  20. 18. bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow

    Examples

    • « the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase »

Famous quotes

  • « Books constitute capital. A library book lasts as long as a house, for hundreds of years. It is not, then, an article of mere consumption but fairly of capital, and often in the case of professional men, setting out in life, it is their only capital. »
    Thomas Jefferson
  • « I'm out there arguing the Labor case. I will do it anywhere and everywhere that I can. I do it within various communities across Australia where I am able to make a positive contribution. And let me tell you, my voice won't be silenced in the public debate because the issue at stake for Australia are so stark. »
    Kevin Rudd
  • « Accuracy is, in every case, advantageous to beauty, and just reasoning to delicate sentiment. In vain would we exalt the one by depreciating the other. »
    David Hume
  • « Before, I guess, mum and dad were everything, but now, in my case, I had two new girls and all of a sudden they're completely dependent on you and there's a third generation. It's a funny shift all of a sudden. You have the babies, you have yourself and then you have your parents. »
    Roger Federer
  • « Wishful thinking is not idealism. It is self-indulgence at best and self-exaltation at worst. In either case, it is usually at the expense of others. In other words, it is the opposite of idealism. »
    Thomas Sowell

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