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

An employee needs to know how the line reacts when there are small variations in the ingredients, humidity or in case the machine is out of tolerance range. — Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas asked residents to stay outside in case of aftershocks. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Things get increasingly bleak, as the family dog’s heart medicine runs out and Jason has to put him out of his misery, and then — in doomsday prepper mode — carves up the body and puts it in the freezer just in case food gets dire. — William Earl, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026

But the Swiss government continues to spend tens of millions of dollars a year to maintain it and hundreds of thousands of other bunkers throughout the country — just in case. — Rob Schmitz, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026

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