# case

/ˈkeɪs/ (US) · /kˈeɪs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/case
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a specific situation

noun · CEFR A2

a particular situation or an example of something happening.

For teachers: an instance of a particular situation; an actual event or fact.

- In some cases, the medicine can cause a mild headache.
- The researchers documented several cases where the local climate had shifted significantly over a single decade.

### 2. a container or box

noun · CEFR A2

a container used to hold or protect something.

For teachers: a box, sheath, or covering designed to contain or protect specific items.

- He kept his glasses in a hard leather case to prevent them from breaking.
- The delicate instrument was shipped in a reinforced steel case to ensure it survived the transoceanic journey.

### 3. a suitcase

noun · CEFR A2

a bag or suitcase used for carrying clothes when you travel.

For teachers: a piece of luggage, typically rectangular, used for transporting personal belongings.

- She packed her case the night before her flight to London.
- He struggled to lift the heavy case into the overhead compartment of the train.

### 4. law or crime

noun · CEFR B1

a matter that is being decided by a court or investigated by the police.

For teachers: a legal proceeding, lawsuit, or a specific investigation within a professional context.

- The police are still working on the murder case from last year.
- The prosecution presented a compelling case, citing forensic evidence that linked the defendant directly to the crime scene.

### 5. medical instance

noun · CEFR B2

a person suffering from a particular disease or injury.

For teachers: an instance of a disease, injury, or set of symptoms in a specific patient.

- There have been three new cases of the flu in the village this week.
- The hospital reported a sudden spike in respiratory cases following the heavy smog in the city centre.

### 6. letter type

noun · CEFR B1

the form of a letter, either a large capital letter or a small letter.

For teachers: the orthographic distinction between capital (upper case) and small (lower case) letters.

- Please write your password in lower case letters only.
- The designer insisted that the brand name be printed in upper case to ensure maximum visibility on the packaging.

### 7. grammar

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

the form of a word that shows its job in a sentence.

For teachers: a grammatical category that determines the function of a noun or pronoun in a sentence through inflection.

- In German, the ending of the noun changes depending on the case.
- The student struggled to master the dative case, which often requires specific prepositional triggers in Latinate languages.

### 8. to inspect for a crime

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

to look at a place carefully, usually because you plan to rob it later.

For teachers: to survey a building or location surreptitiously in preparation for a criminal act.

- The thieves spent two days casing the bank before they tried to break in.
- The detective suspected the gang had been casing the jewellery store for weeks, noting the security guard's shift changes.

### 9. to put in a box

verb · CEFR B2

to put things into a box or container.

For teachers: to enclose or protect something within a case or to pack items into boxes for shipment.

- The workers spent the afternoon casing the finished products for delivery.
- The machinery was carefully cased in wooden crates to prevent moisture damage during the sea voyage.

## Examples

- In this case, we need to change our plans.
- The doctor reviewed each medical case individually to ensure the patients received the correct treatment.
- While the legal team argued that this was a unique case, the judge ruled that existing precedents regarding property rights still applied to the current dispute.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.