What does "case" mean?
An actual event, situation, or fact.
Case
/keɪs/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An actual event, situation, or fact.
- Grammar: case is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: example, grammatical case, instance, lawsuit.
- Useful contrasts: catha, expose, ignore.
- Usage evidence: You have to judge the case without bias.
How to use "case"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "case" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "case" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "case" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "case" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "case" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "example" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "case", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An actual event, situation, or fact.
"For a change, in this case, he was telling the truth."
- 2 A box that contains or can contain a number of identical items of manufacture.
- 3 computer-aided software engineering.
- 4 abstract feature of a noun phrase that determines its function in a sentence, such as a grammatical case and a position.
"The basic principle governing case is: (20) The Case filter: A lexicalized NP must bear a Case feature in S-structure. ‘Case’ with a capital C is here understood not as morphologically marked case, but as an abstract feature which will be present even in languages such as Swahili or Chinese which lack case marking on NPs (it is usually assumed however, that Case will be congruent with morphological case where the latter is present)."
- 5 a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy wordnet
Show 43 more definitions
- 6 A given condition or state. archaic
"Thus vvhilſt he hopt he hild her leaſt, ſo altereth the cace / VVith ſuch as ſhe, Ah ſuch it is to build on ſuch a face."
- 7 A box, sheath, or covering generally.
"a case for spectacles; the case of a watch"
- 8 coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers.
- 9 a portable container for carrying several objects wordnet
- 10 A piece of work, specifically defined within a profession; the set of tasks involved in addressing the situation of a specific person or event.
"It was one of the detective's easiest cases."
- 11 A piece of luggage that can be used to transport an apparatus such as a sewing machine.
- 12 a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home wordnet
- 13 An instance or event as a topic of study.
"The teaching consists of theory lessons and case studies."
- 14 An enclosing frame or casing.
"a door case; a window case"
- 15 bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow wordnet
- 16 A legal proceeding; a lawsuit or prosecution.
"“Two or three months more went by ; the public were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this semi-exotic claimant to an English peerage, and sensations, surpassing those of the Tichbourne case, were looked forward to with palpitating interest. […]”"
- 17 A suitcase.
- 18 (printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has their type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers wordnet
- 19 A specific inflection of a word (particularly a noun, pronoun, or adjective) depending on its function in the sentence.
"The accusative case most commonly indicates a direct object."
- 20 A piece of furniture, constructed partially of transparent glass or plastic, within which items can be displayed.
- 21 the enclosing frame around a door or window opening wordnet
- 22 Grammatical cases and their meanings taken either as a topic in general or within a specific language. uncountable
"Jane has been studying case in Caucasian languages."
- 23 The outer covering or framework of a piece of apparatus such as a computer.
- 24 the housing or outer covering of something wordnet
- 25 An instance of a specific condition or set of symptoms.
"There were another five cases reported overnight."
- 26 A shallow tray divided into compartments or "boxes" for holding type, traditionally arranged in sets of two, the "upper case" (containing capitals, small capitals, accented) and "lower case" (small letters, figures, punctuation marks, quadrats, and spaces). historical
- 27 an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part wordnet
- 28 A section of code representing one of the actions of a conditional switch.
"Place a break statement at the end of every case to prevent case fall-through."
- 29 The nature of a piece of alphabetic type, whether a “capital” (upper case) or “small” (lower case) letter. broadly
- 30 the actual state of things wordnet
- 31 A love affair. archaic
"Poor fellow, just as I thought! It's a case with him, anybody can see that. He is thinking about Christine, for a certainty. Lovers always take to stargazing and moonlight dreaming — it's part of their complaint."
- 32 Four of a kind. slang
- 33 nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence wordnet
- 34 A unit of liquid measure used to measure sales in the beverage industry, equivalent to 192 fluid ounces. US
- 35 a statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument wordnet
- 36 A small fissure which admits water into the workings.
- 37 a problem requiring investigation wordnet
- 38 A thin layer of harder metal on the surface of an object whose deeper metal is allowed to remain soft.
- 39 a specific size and style of type within a type family wordnet
- 40 A cardboard box that holds (usually 24) beer bottles or cans.
"a single case of Bud Light"
- 41 an occurrence of something wordnet
- 42 A counterfeit crown (five-shilling coin). UK, obsolete, slang
"The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) about twopence."
- 43 a person requiring professional services wordnet
- 44 a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities) wordnet
- 45 a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation wordnet
- 46 the quantity contained in a case wordnet
- 47 a special set of circumstances wordnet
- 48 a specific state of mind that is temporary wordnet
Verb
- 1 To propose hypothetical cases. intransitive, obsolete
"Casing upon the Matter."
- 2 To place (an item or items of manufacture) into a box, as in preparation for shipment. transitive
- 3 enclose in, or as if in, a case wordnet
- 4 To cover or protect with, or as if with, a case; to enclose. transitive
"The man who, cased in steel, had passed whole days and nights in the saddle."
- 5 look over, usually with the intention to rob wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To survey (a building or other location) surreptitiously, as in preparation for a robbery. informal, transitive
"You are in the grounds of Brockholes Abbey, a house into which a great deal of valuable property has just been moved. And your job is to case the joint for a break in."
Adjective
- 1 The last remaining card of a particular rank. not-comparable, slang
"He drew the case eight!"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A place name:; A township in Presque Isle County, Michigan, United States.
- 3 A place name:; An unincorporated community in Laclede County, Missouri, United States.
- 4 A place name:; An unincorporated community in Warren County, Missouri.
Example
"You have to judge the case without bias."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "case"?
Common synonyms include: example, grammatical case, instance, lawsuit, abessive, ablative.
How do you use "case" in a sentence?
You have to judge the case without bias.
How do you pronounce "case"?
Pronounced /keɪs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cas, from Old French cas (“an event”), from Latin cāsus (“a falling, a fall; accident, event, occurrence; occasion, opportunity; noun case”), perfect passive participle of cadō (“to fall, to drop”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English case, from Old Northern French casse (compare Old French chasse (“box, chest, case”)), from Latin capsa (“box, bookcase”), from capiō (“to take, seize, hold”). Doublet of cash, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja, Asturian caxa, Portuguese caixa.
Etymology 3
Capitalization by Noam Chomsky.