CASE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does case mean? 

• CASE (noun)
  The noun CASE has 20 senses:

1. an occurrence of something

2. a special set of circumstances

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

4. the actual state of things

5. a portable container for carrying several objects

6. a person requiring professional services

7. a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation

8. a problem requiring investigation

9. a statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument

10. the quantity contained in a case

11. nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence

12. a specific state of mind that is temporary

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

14. a specific size and style of type within a type family

15. an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part

16. the housing or outer covering of something

17. the enclosing frame around a door or window opening

18. (printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers

19. bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow

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

  Familiarity information: CASE used as a noun is very familiar.

• CASE (verb)
  The verb CASE has 2 senses:

1. look over, usually with the intention to rob

2. enclose in, or as if in, a case

  Familiarity information: CASE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CASE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An occurrence of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

case; example; instance

Context example:

but there is always the famous example of the Smiths

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

clip; time (an instance or single occasion for some event)

bit; piece (an instance of some kind)

humiliation; mortification (an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A special set of circumstances

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

case; event

Context example:

it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

circumstance (a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

case; causa; cause; lawsuit; suit

Context example:

the family brought suit against the landlord

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

legal proceeding; proceeding; proceedings ((law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

class-action suit; class action (a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group)

countersuit (a suit brought against someone who has sued you)

criminal suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of criminal law by the defendant)

moot (a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise)

bastardy proceeding; paternity suit (a lawsuit filed to determine the father of a child born out of wedlock (and to provide for the support of the child once paternity is determined))

civil suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of civil law by the defendant)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The actual state of things

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

that was not the case

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

fact (a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A portable container for carrying several objects

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the musicians left their instrument cases backstage

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

locket (a small ornamental case; usually contains a picture or a lock of hair and is worn on a necklace)

writing desk (a portable case containing writing materials and having a writing surface)

watch case (the metal case in which the works of a watch are housed)

billfold; notecase; pocketbook; wallet (a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money)

sleeve (small case into which an object fits)

shoe ((card games) a case from which playing cards are dealt one at a time)

quiver (case for holding arrows)

portfolio (a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps; usually leather)

pillbox (a small case for holding pills)

letter case (case for carrying letters)

kit (a case for containing a set of articles)

gun case (a case for storing a gun)

glasses case (a case for carrying spectacles)

dispatch box; dispatch case (case consisting of an oblong container (usually having a lock) for carrying dispatches or other valuables)

compact; powder compact (a small cosmetics case with a mirror; to be carried in a woman's purse)

cigarette case (a small flat case for holding cigarettes; can be carried in a purse or a pocket)

cardcase (a small case for carrying business cards)

briefcase (a case with a handle; for carrying papers or files or books)

baggage; luggage (cases used to carry belongings when traveling)

Derivation:

case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A person requiring professional services

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

client (a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer)

patient (a person who requires medical care)

referral (a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group)

charity case; welfare case (a case for a welfare worker)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

case; guinea pig; subject

Context example:

the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A problem requiring investigation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

problem (a question raised for consideration or solution)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

he stated his case clearly

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

argument; statement (a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true)

Sense 10

Meaning:

The quantity contained in a case

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

case; caseful

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

containerful (the quantity that a container will hold)

Derivation:

case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

case; grammatical case

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

grammatical category; syntactic category ((grammar) a category of words having the same grammatical properties)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

nominative; nominative case; subject case (the category of nouns serving as the grammatical subject of a verb)

oblique; oblique case (any grammatical case other than the nominative)

Sense 12

Meaning:

A specific state of mind that is temporary

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

a case of the jitters

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

frame of mind; state of mind (a temporary psychological state)

Sense 13

Meaning:

A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

case; character; eccentric; type

Context example:

a mental case

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

adult; grownup (a fully developed person from maturity onward)

Sense 14

Meaning:

A specific size and style of type within a type family

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

case; face; font; fount; typeface

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

type (printed characters)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

bold; bold face; boldface (a typeface with thick heavy lines)

Helvetica; sans serif (a typeface in which characters have no serifs)

raster font; screen font (the font that is displayed on a computer screen)

italic (a typeface with letters slanting upward to the right)

black letter; Gothic (a heavy typeface in use from 15th to 18th centuries)

proportional font (any font whose different characters have different widths)

constant-width font; fixed-width font; monospaced font; typewriter font (a typeface is which each character is given the same width (as by a typewriter))

bicameral script (a script having two distinct cases)

unicameral script (a script with a single case)

cartridge font; font cartridge (any font that is contained in a cartridge that can be plugged into a computer printer)

Holonyms ("case" is a member of...):

type family (a complete set of type suitable for printing text)

Sense 15

Meaning:

An enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

case; sheath

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

cover; covering; natural covering (a natural object that covers or envelops)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

lorica (a hard protective sheath (as secreted by certain protoctists, for example))

medullary sheath; myelin sheath (a layer of myelin encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers)

neurilemma; neurolemma (thin membranous sheath around a nerve fiber)

husk (outer membranous covering of some fruits or seeds)

theca (outer sheath of the pupa of certain insects)

Derivation:

case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)

Sense 16

Meaning:

The housing or outer covering of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

case; casing; shell

Context example:

the clock has a walnut case

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

housing (a protective cover designed to contain or support a mechanical component)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

jacket (the tough metal shell casing for certain kinds of ammunition)

gear box; gear case; gearbox (the shell (metal casing) in which a train of gears is sealed)

boot (protective casing for something that resembles a leg)

Holonyms ("case" is a part of...):

grandfather clock; longcase clock (a pendulum clock enclosed in a tall narrow case)

Derivation:

case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)

Sense 17

Meaning:

The enclosing frame around a door or window opening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

case; casing

Context example:

the casings had rotted away and had to be replaced

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

frame; framework (a structure supporting or containing something)

Holonyms ("case" is a part of...):

door; doorway; room access; threshold (the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close)

window (a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air)

Sense 18

Meaning:

(printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

case; compositor's case; typesetter's case

Context example:

for English, a compositor will ordinarily have two such cases, the upper case containing the capitals and the lower case containing the small letters

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

receptacle (a container that is used to put or keep things in)

Domain category:

printing (the business of producing printed material for sale or distribution)

Sense 19

Meaning:

Bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

case; pillow slip; pillowcase; slip

Context example:

the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

bed linen (linen or cotton articles for a bed (as sheets and pillowcases))

Sense 20

Meaning:

A glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

case; display case; showcase; vitrine

Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):

container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):

trophy case (a case in which to display trophies)

Derivation:

case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)

• CASE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Look over, usually with the intention to rob

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

They men cased the housed

Hypernyms (to "case" is one way to...):

inspect (look over carefully)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Enclose in, or as if in, a case

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

case; encase; incase

Context example:

my feet were encased in mud

Hypernyms (to "case" is one way to...):

close in; enclose; inclose; shut in (surround completely)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "case"):

pack (arrange in a container)

box; package (put into a box)

sack (put in a sack)

crate (put into a crate; as for protection)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They case the goods

Derivation:

case (a portable container for carrying several objects)

case (a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home)

case (the housing or outer covering of something)

case (an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part)

case (the quantity contained in a case)

casing (the housing or outer covering of something)

 Context examples 

Simple as the case is, there have been one or two very instructive details in connection with it.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It just happens that culture, in his case, is incidental to career.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

In that case, I leave the choice up to you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

At last, when she came to the youngest, a soft voice cried: “Dear mother, I am in the clock-case.”

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

He could not tell what I meant by secrets of state, where an enemy, or some rival nation, were not in the case.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

“I thought so,” said he, “the revolver had an ejector, and here is the third cartridge. I really think, Inspector Martin, that our case is almost complete.”

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The crime of not earning a living, in their case, is called vagrancy.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

During the past two or three days several cases have occurred of young children straying from home or neglecting to return from their playing on the Heath.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The stranger thrust a physician's small travelling case under his blankets at one end to serve for a pillow.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“Your cases have indeed been of the greatest interest to me,” I observed.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)