in case

1 of 2

conjunction

1

: as a precaution against the event that

carries an umbrella in case it rains

2

: if

In case we are surprised, keep by me.

—Washington Irving

in case

2 of 2

phrase

: as a precaution

took an umbrella, just in case

Examples of in case in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Conjunction

And in case that wasn’t clear enough to viewers, Pennywise pulls out another missing-kid flyer, this time with Finn Wolfhard’s face on it. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025

Such drones are not about directly threatening American soil, but does give China some interesting options in case of conflict. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025

The Indianapolis Colts are the team that broke the glass in case of emergency to lure the 44-year-old quarterback out of a five-year retirement. —Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025

But in case that wasn't enough, Michigan found itself in the middle of a major controversy this week. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Conjunction

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for in case

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase