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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both Levitin and Thomas said that federal cases concerning loss amounts as small as those alleged in James’s case — $18,933 — are unusual. Ella Lee, The Hill, 11 Oct. 2025 Last month, Mangione’s attorneys also filed a 114-page motion in his federal case arguing that federal prosecutors should be precluded from treating it as a death penalty case due to public comments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025 Tow truck drivers have been called a lot of unprintable names over the years in Miami and a federal case filed Friday won’t help things. Adrian Ruhi, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025 Ventura’s civil suit, filed in 2023 and settled quickly, laid the foundation for the federal case now nearing its conclusion. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for federal case

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of federal case was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Federal case.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/federal%20case. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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