case
A1All registers: formal, informal, legal, medical, technical, everyday.
Definition
Meaning
An instance or example of something; a particular situation or set of circumstances; a container for holding or protecting something.
The word extends to contexts of argumentation (a case for/against), law (legal case), medicine (patient case), grammar (noun case), and protective covering (phone case).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Case" is a highly polysemous word. Its meaning is heavily dependent on context and collocation. The legal and medical senses are specific professional jargon. In everyday use, it often means 'situation' or 'instance'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
UK English more commonly uses 'in that case' to mean 'therefore'. In law, terms like 'case law' and 'test case' are identical. Spelling of related terms differs: 'casebook' (both), but 'caseload' (more common in AmE).
Connotations
Similar in both varieties. The legal sense is strong in both.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both. The 'suitcase' sense might be slightly more frequent in UK travel contexts (e.g., 'pack a case').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
make a case FOR/AGAINST sthargue the casebe a case OF sthIN case (conjunction)IN case OF (preposition)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “a basket case”
- “a case of the jitters”
- “get on someone's case”
- “in any case”
- “a cast-iron case”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a business proposal or argument (e.g., 'business case', 'use case').
Academic
Used for analysis of a specific example (e.g., 'a case study', 'in this particular case').
Everyday
Common for situations (e.g., 'In that case, let's go home.') and precaution ('Take an umbrella just in case.').
Technical
In computing: 'use case', 'switch-case statement'. In medicine: 'patient case'. In grammar: 'nominative case'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The detectives will case the joint before the planned operation.
- He carefully cased the antique violin for transport.
American English
- The thieves cased the bank for three days.
- The museum staff cased the fragile artifact in acrylic.
adjective
British English
- The report highlighted several case studies from the NHS.
- We need a case-by-case analysis.
American English
- The lawyer reviewed the case law thoroughly.
- It's a case-sensitive password.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Put your books in your school case.
- In this case, we will go tomorrow.
- It's a case of too much work.
- The police are investigating the case.
- She made a strong case for a pay rise.
- Always carry ID, just in case.
- The barrister presented a compelling case to the jury.
- As a case in point, last year's project failed for the same reason.
- The software handles each error on a case-by-case basis.
- The attorney general declined to pursue the case due to lack of evidence.
- Anthropologists often use ethnographic case studies to illustrate broader cultural patterns.
- The nominal case system in Old English has largely been lost in Modern English.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a detective holding a BRIEFCASE. Inside is a file on a specific legal CASE (situation). The case protects the papers, and the file details one specific instance.
Conceptual Metaphor
ARGUMENTS ARE CONTAINERS (a strong case); SITUATIONS ARE OBJECTS (a difficult case); PROTECTION IS A SHELL (phone case).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- In Russian, 'кейс' is a borrowing often used for a business case study. The English 'case' is far broader.
- Russian 'чехол' or 'футляр' only covers the 'container' meaning.
- 'Just in case' does not translate directly to Russian conjunctions; it expresses precaution.
- Grammatical 'case' (падеж) is a false friend for all other meanings.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'in case' (precaution) with 'if' (condition). *'I'll call you in case I'm late.' (Incorrect) vs 'I'll call you if I'm late.' (Correct).
- Using 'in case of' without a noun in conditional clauses. *'In case of you need help, call me.' (Incorrect) vs 'In case you need help, call me.' (Correct).
- Overusing 'the case' where a simpler word like 'situation' or 'true' would suffice.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence correctly uses 'in case'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'In case' expresses precaution (doing something because something else might happen later). 'If' expresses condition (doing something when/after something else happens). Example: 'I'll take a map in case I get lost.' (precaution) vs 'I'll look at the map if I get lost.' (condition).
It is almost always countable. You have 'a case', 'two cases', 'several cases'. In the grammatical sense ('case system'), it can be uncountable when referring to the concept.
It means 'a relevant example of what is being discussed'. It is used to introduce a specific instance that proves or illustrates a general statement.
It's a common phrase meaning 'as a precaution'. It is often used at the end of a sentence. Example: 'Take an umbrella, just in case.' It implies you are preparing for a possible, but not certain, future event.