# case

Pronunciation: US say "KAYS" /keɪs/; UK

## Noun

1. A particular situation, set of circumstances, or state of affairs; an instance of something happening.
   - Simple: A particular situation, or one example of something happening.
   - _It turned out to be a case of simple miscommunication between the two teams._
   - _Whether the rule applies depends on the specifics of each case._
2. A matter brought before a court, such as a lawsuit or a criminal prosecution.
   - Simple: A legal matter that is decided in a court.
   - _The case against the company finally went to trial after three years of delays._
   - _Several similar cases were combined into one trial._
3. A single occurrence of a disease or other condition, or of a particular set of symptoms.
   - Simple: One example of an illness or other health problem in one person.
   - _Hospitals reported a sharp rise in measles cases over the winter._
   - _Each case was logged with the patient's age and symptoms._
4. An instance or event studied as a topic of investigation.
   - Simple: A real example that people study to learn from it.
   - _The researcher chose this hospital as her primary case._
   - _Business schools often teach through real-world cases._
5. A container, box, or covering that holds or protects something, such as the outer casing of a device or a frame around an opening.
   - Simple: A box or cover that holds something or keeps it safe, like a phone case or a computer case.
   - _He kept the violin in a padded case between rehearsals._
   - _The museum stored the medals in protective cases._
6. The evidence and arguments offered in favor of a claim, position, or course of action.
   - Simple: The facts and reasons someone gives to show that an idea or plan is right, as in make a case for something.
   - _The author makes a persuasive case for taxing sugary drinks._
   - _Supporters of the new bridge have yet to explain how their case holds up against the cost figures._
7. A matter that a professional handles, such as a crime under police investigation or a client's or patient's situation, together with the work it involves.
   - Simple: A crime, problem or person's situation that a professional, such as a detective or social worker, deals with.
   - _The nurse reviewed each case before her morning rounds._
   - _Each social worker in our county juggles more than forty cases at once._
8. A box or carton holding a set number of identical items, such as 24 bottles or cans of a drink.
   - Simple: A box that holds a fixed number of the same thing, like 24 cans of beer.
   - _The warehouse received three cases of light bulbs._
   - _Wholesale buyers purchase printer paper by the case rather than the ream._
9. A piece of furniture, partly made of clear glass or plastic, used to display items inside.
   - Simple: A piece of furniture with glass sides used to show things off.
   - _The jeweler locked the necklace back in the display case._
   - _Lit cases protected the fragile manuscripts from dust and handling._
10. The form of an alphabetic letter, whether capital (upper case) or small (lower case).
   - Simple: Whether a letter is written as a big capital or a small one.
   - _The style guide specifies the case of every heading._
   - _Programming languages that ignore case treat 'A' and 'a' as the same letter._
11. A suitcase used for carrying clothes and belongings while traveling.
   - Simple: A bag with a handle for carrying clothes when you travel.
   - _He hauled his case up the station steps._
   - _Travelers wheeled their cases across the busy terminal._
12. In grammar, the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective that shows its role in a sentence, or the system of such forms in a language.
   - Simple: In grammar, the form a word takes to show its job in a sentence, such as subject or object.
   - _Latin marks the subject of a sentence with the nominative case._
   - _Many languages use the genitive case to show possession._
15. In the beverage industry, a unit of liquid volume equal to 192 fluid ounces, used for counting sales. *(US)*
   - Simple: A set amount of drinks counted in sales, equal to 192 fluid ounces.
   - _Beverage suppliers report volume by the case, with one case set at 192 fluid ounces._
   - _The cola maker's U.S. volume grew to two billion standard cases, counting fountain syrup as well as bottles and cans._
16. In a switch statement, a block of code that defines one of the possible actions.
   - Simple: A part of a program that runs when a certain choice is matched.
   - _The default case runs when no other value matches._
   - _Add a new case for each menu option the user can pick._
18. A thin layer of harder metal on an object's surface, the deeper metal left comparatively soft.
   - Simple: A thin, hard outer layer of metal over a softer inside.
   - _Carburizing forms a hard case on the steel while leaving the interior tough and ductile._
   - _The file stopped cutting well once its hardened case had worn away._
19. A shallow tray divided into compartments for holding metal type, traditionally paired as an upper tray for capitals and a lower one for small letters.
   - Simple: A flat tray with small boxes that printers used to hold metal letters.
   - _The compositor picked type from the case, drawing capitals from the upper section._
   - _An old printing case sat in the museum, its compartments still labeled._
20. In poker, a hand of four cards of the same rank; four of a kind. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In poker, four cards that all have the same number or rank.
22. A small fissure that admits water into the workings of a mine.
   - Simple: A small crack that lets water leak into a mine.

## Verb

13. To survey a building or location secretly, typically in preparation for a robbery. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To secretly look over a place before robbing it.
   - _The gang cased the warehouse for weeks, noting guard shifts and exits._
   - _Detectives believe the suspects came to case the building days before the heist._
14. To put something into a case or box, or to enclose it in a protective covering.
   - Simple: To put something into a box or cover it with a case.
   - _The watchmaker cased the movement in solid gold._
   - _The new sensors are cased in tough plastic so they survive being dropped on a job site._

## Adjective

21. Denoting the last remaining card of a particular rank still in play. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Used for the last card of one rank still left to come.
   - _The case nine was his only out, and he caught it on the river._
   - _Everyone at the table knew the case queen was still live in the deck._

## Noun

17. A love affair or romantic involvement between two people. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A romance or love affair between two people.
23. A counterfeit crown: a fraudulent five-shilling coin passed off as genuine. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A fake five-shilling coin made to trick people.

## Verb

24. To set forth hypothetical situations, especially for the sake of discussion or argument. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To put forward pretend situations so people can talk them through.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6–7, 12, 16–17, 24** — Latin cadō ("to fall, drop") gave the noun cāsus, meaning "a fall, a falling," and also "accident, event, occurrence, occasion." This passed through Old French cas ("an event") into Middle English cas.
**Meanings 5, 8–11, 13–15, 18–23** — Latin capiō ("to take, seize, hold") gave capsa ("box, bookcase"). This became casse in Old Northern French (Old French had chasse, "box, chest, case") and then Middle English case. Cash, chase, and chasse are doublets.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/case (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).