case
1
[ keys ]
/ keɪs /
noun
Idioms for case
Origin of case
1
before 1150; Middle English
ca(a)s < Anglo-French, Old French
cas < Latin
cāsus fall, accident, event, grammatical case (translation of Greek
ptôsis), equivalent to
cad(ere) to fall +
-tus suffix of v. action; compare Old English
cāsus grammatical case
synonym study for case
1.
Case,
instance,
example,
illustration suggest the existence or occurrence of a particular thing representative of its type.
Case and
instance are closely allied in meaning, as are
example and
illustration.
Case is a general word, meaning a fact, occurrence, or situation typical of a class:
a case of assault and battery. An
instance is a concrete factual case which is adduced to explain a general idea:
an instance of a brawl in which an assault occurred. An
example is one typical case, usually from many similar ones, used to make clear or explain the working of a principle (what may be expected of any others of the group):
This boy is an example of the effect of strict discipline. An
illustration exemplifies a theory or principle similarly, except that the choice may be purely hypothetical:
The work of Seeing Eye dogs is an illustration of what is thought to be intelligence in animals.
OTHER WORDS FROM case
case·less, adjective case·less·ly, adverbWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH case
encase in caseWords nearby case
Definition for case (2 of 2)
case
2
[ keys ]
/ keɪs /
noun
verb (used with object), cased, cas·ing.
Origin of case
2
1250–1300; Middle English
cas < Anglo-French
cas(s)e, Old French
chasse < Latin
capsa cylindrical case for holding books in scroll form, receptacle
OTHER WORDS FROM case
cas·er, noun well-cased, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for case
British Dictionary definitions for case (1 of 2)
case
1
/ (keɪs) /
noun
Word Origin for case
Old English
casus (grammatical) case, associated also with Old French
cas a happening; both from Latin
cāsus, a befalling, occurrence, from
cadere to fall
British Dictionary definitions for case (2 of 2)
case
2
/ (keɪs) /
noun
verb (tr)
to put into or cover with a case
to case the machinery
slang
to inspect carefully (esp a place to be robbed)
Word Origin for case
C13: from Old French
casse, from Latin
capsa, from
capere to take, hold
Medical definitions for case
case
[ kās ]
n.
An occurrence of a disease or disorder.
Cultural definitions for case
case
A grammatical category indicating whether nouns and pronouns are functioning as the subject of a sentence (nominative case) or the object of a sentence (objective case), or are indicating possession (possessive case). He is in the nominative case, him is in the objective case, and his is in the possessive case. In a language such as English, nouns do not change their form in the nominative or objective case. Only pronouns do. Thus, ball stays the same in both “the ball is thrown,” where it is the subject, and in “Harry threw the ball,” where it is the object.
Idioms and Phrases with case
case