Case
/keɪs/
Definitions
3 meaningsA particular instance of something; a situation or example.
/keɪs/
Instance or situation
This is a clear case of negligence.
💡 Simply: A single example or happening.
More Examples
The police are investigating the case of the missing painting.
How It's Used
"The lawyer presented a strong case to the jury."
"Doctors are studying the case of a rare disease."
A container, usually protective, for holding something.
/keɪs/
Container or covering
He carried his briefcase.
💡 Simply: A box or covering to protect something.
More Examples
The watch came in a beautiful case.
How It's Used
"I put my phone in its case."
To mark or classify grammatical cases.
/keɪs/
To mark or classify
The teacher cased the nouns in the sentence.
💡 Simply: To give a grammatical case to a word.
How It's Used
"The noun 'case' is often used to case the verb."
Idioms & expressions
in any case
Regardless; anyway.
"In any case, we'll meet tomorrow."
From Old French 'caice', from Latin 'capsia', meaning 'a box'. The modern meaning developed gradually, encompassing various interpretations of 'container' or 'instance'.
The word 'case' has been used to describe containers for centuries, with its legal and general usage developing later.
Memory tip
Think of a case file containing details of a specific event.