federal case

noun

: big deal

don't make a federal case out of it

Examples of federal case in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

GameDay host Pat McAfee, another polarizing figure, asked Kiffin about being sued by the SEC earlier this week as part of the federal case. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026

The federal case was based on allegations the social media giant misrepresented the extent of child mental health harms caused by apps like Facebook and Instagram. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

While the federal case in Oakland was settled as part of the agreement with the 47 states, major cases against Meta remain active. — Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

At the end of 2025, the FBI’s National Crime Information Center recorded just under 1,500 active cases involving missing Native Americans, though not all become federal cases. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for federal case

• aromatase
• oligoclase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace