Main Entry: ¹case

Pronunciation: \ˈkās\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English cas, from Anglo-French, from Latin casus fall, chance, from cadere to fall — more at chance

Date: 13th century

1 a : a set of circumstances or conditions <is the statement true in all three cases> b (1) : a situation requiring investigation or action (as by the police) (2) : the object of investigation or consideration
2 : condition; specifically : condition of body or mind
3 [Middle English cas, from Anglo-French, from Latin casus, translation of Greek ptōsis, literally, fall] a : an inflectional form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective indicating its grammatical relation to other words b : such a relation whether indicated by inflection or not
4 : what actually exists or happens : fact <thought he had failed, but that wasn't the case>
5 a : a suit or action in law or equity b (1) : the evidence supporting a conclusion or judgment (2) : argument; especially : a convincing argument <makes a good case for adopting the proposal>
6 a : an instance of disease or injury <a case of pneumonia>; also : patient b : an instance that directs attention to a situation or exhibits it in action : example c : a peculiar person : character
7 : oneself considered as an object of harassment or criticism <get off my case>

synonyms see instance

— in any case : without regard to or in spite of other considerations : whatever else is done or is the case <war is inevitable in any case> <in any case the report will be made public next month>

— in case : as a precaution <took an umbrella, just in case>

— in case of : in the event of <in case of trouble, yell>