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CASE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy
Example:
the family brought suit against the landlord
Synonyms:
case; causa; cause; lawsuit; suit
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
legal proceeding; proceeding; proceedings ((law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked)
Domain category:
jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
civil suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of civil law by the defendant)
class-action suit; class action (a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group)
countersuit (a suit brought against someone who has sued you)
criminal suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of criminal law by the defendant)
moot (a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise)
bastardy proceeding; paternity suit (a lawsuit filed to determine the father of a child born out of wedlock (and to provide for the support of the child once paternity is determined))
Sense 2
Meaning:
A portable container for carrying several objects
Example:
the musicians left their instrument cases backstage
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
writing desk (a portable case containing writing materials and having a writing surface)
watch case (the metal case in which the works of a watch are housed)
billfold; notecase; pocketbook; wallet (a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money)
sleeve (small case into which an object fits)
shoe ((card games) a case from which playing cards are dealt one at a time)
quiver (case for holding arrows)
portfolio (a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps; usually leather)
pillbox (a small case for holding pills)
locket (a small ornamental case; usually contains a picture or a lock of hair and is worn on a necklace)
letter case (case for carrying letters)
kit (a case for containing a set of articles)
gun case (a case for storing a gun)
glasses case (a case for carrying spectacles)
dispatch box; dispatch case (case consisting of an oblong container (usually having a lock) for carrying dispatches or other valuables)
compact; powder compact (a small cosmetics case with a mirror; to be carried in a woman's purse)
cigarette case (a small flat case for holding cigarettes; can be carried in a purse or a pocket)
cardcase (a small case for carrying business cards)
briefcase (a case with a handle; for carrying papers or files or books)
baggage; luggage (cases used to carry belongings when traveling)
Derivation:
case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
Synonyms:
case; display case; showcase; vitrine
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
trophy case (a case in which to display trophies)
Derivation:
case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow
Example:
the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase
Synonyms:
case; pillow slip; pillowcase; slip
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
bed linen (linen or cotton articles for a bed (as sheets and pillowcases))
Sense 5
Meaning:
(printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers
Example:
for English, a compositor will ordinarily have two such cases, the upper case containing the capitals and the lower case containing the small letters
Synonyms:
case; compositor's case; typesetter's case
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
receptacle (a container that is used to put or keep things in)
Domain category:
printing (the business of producing printed material for sale or distribution)
Sense 6
Meaning:
The enclosing frame around a door or window opening
Example:
the casings had rotted away and had to be replaced
Synonyms:
case; casing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
frame; framework (a structure supporting or containing something)
Holonyms ("case" is a part of...):
door; doorway; room access; threshold (the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close)
window (a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air)
Sense 7
Meaning:
The housing or outer covering of something
Example:
the clock has a walnut case
Synonyms:
case; casing; shell
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
housing (a protective cover designed to contain or support a mechanical component)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
boot (protective casing for something that resembles a leg)
gear box; gear case; gearbox (the shell (metal casing) in which a train of gears is sealed)
jacket (the tough metal shell casing for certain kinds of ammunition)
Holonyms ("case" is a part of...):
grandfather clock; longcase clock (a pendulum clock enclosed in a tall narrow case)
Derivation:
case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)
Sense 8
Meaning:
An enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part
Synonyms:
case; sheath
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
cover; covering; natural covering (a natural object that covers or envelops)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
theca (outer sheath of the pupa of certain insects)
lorica (a hard protective sheath (as secreted by certain protoctists, for example))
medullary sheath; myelin sheath (a layer of myelin encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers)
neurilemma; neurolemma (thin membranous sheath around a nerve fiber)
husk (outer membranous covering of some fruits or seeds)
Derivation:
case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)
Sense 9
Meaning:
The actual state of things
Example:
that was not the case
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
fact (a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred)
Sense 10
Meaning:
Nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
Synonyms:
case; grammatical case
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
grammatical category; syntactic category ((grammar) a category of words having the same grammatical properties)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
nominative; nominative case; subject case (the category of nouns serving as the grammatical subject of a verb)
oblique; oblique case (any grammatical case other than the nominative)
Sense 11
Meaning:
A statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument
Example:
he stated his case clearly
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
argument; statement (a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true)
Sense 12
Meaning:
A problem requiring investigation
Example:
Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
problem (a question raised for consideration or solution)
Sense 13
Meaning:
A specific size and style of type within a type family
Synonyms:
case; face; font; fount; typeface
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
type (printed characters)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
Helvetica; sans serif (a typeface in which characters have no serifs)
raster font; screen font (the font that is displayed on a computer screen)
italic (a typeface with letters slanting upward to the right)
bold; bold face; boldface (a typeface with thick heavy lines)
black letter; Gothic (a heavy typeface in use from 15th to 18th centuries)
cartridge font; font cartridge (any font that is contained in a cartridge that can be plugged into a computer printer)
proportional font (any font whose different characters have different widths)
constant-width font; fixed-width font; monospaced font; typewriter font (a typeface is which each character is given the same width (as by a typewriter))
bicameral script (a script having two distinct cases)
unicameral script (a script with a single case)
Holonyms ("case" is a member of...):
type family (a complete set of type suitable for printing text)
Sense 14
Meaning:
An occurrence of something
Example:
but there is always the famous example of the Smiths
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
clip; time (an instance or single occasion for some event)
bit; piece (an instance of some kind)
humiliation; mortification (an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect)
Sense 15
Meaning:
A person requiring professional services
Example:
a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "case"):
client (a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer)
patient (a person who requires medical care)
referral (a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group)
charity case; welfare case (a case for a welfare worker)
Sense 16
Meaning:
A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)
Example:
a mental case
Synonyms:
case; character; eccentric; type
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
adult; grownup (a fully developed person from maturity onward)
Sense 17
Meaning:
A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation
Example:
the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
Synonyms:
case; guinea pig; subject
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Sense 18
Meaning:
The quantity contained in a case
Synonyms:
case; caseful
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
containerful (the quantity that a container will hold)
Derivation:
case (enclose in, or as if in, a case)
Sense 19
Meaning:
A special set of circumstances
Example:
it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled
Synonyms:
case; event
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
circumstance (a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity)
Sense 20
Meaning:
A specific state of mind that is temporary
Example:
a case of the jitters
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
frame of mind; state of mind (a temporary psychological state)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they case ... he / she / it cases
Past simple: cased
Past participle: cased
-ing form: casing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Enclose in, or as if in, a case
Example:
my feet were encased in mud
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "case" is one way to...):
close in; enclose; inclose; shut in (surround completely)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "case"):
pack (arrange in a container)
sack (put in a sack)
crate (put into a crate; as for protection)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Sentence example:
They case the goods
Derivation:
case (a portable container for carrying several objects)
case (a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home)
case (the housing or outer covering of something)
case (an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part)
case (the quantity contained in a case)
casing (the housing or outer covering of something)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Look over, usually with the intention to rob
Example:
They men cased the housed
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "case" is one way to...):
inspect (look over carefully)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Context examples:
All the drivers became interested in his case.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
For example: You brought a divorce case, or a restitution case, into the Consistory.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
During the monitoring period, which averaged 13.5 years, 3346 new cases of atrial fibrillation were diagnosed.
(Eat Chocolate for Steady Heartbea, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
In some cases, the deaths are a result of carbon starvation, in which trees close their pores, essentially starving themselves by blocking the entry of carbon, which is needed for photosynthesis.
(What's killing trees during droughts?, National Science Foundation)
Would you think it likely, now, that your squire would prove a liberal-minded one in case of help—him being in a clove hitch, as you remark?
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
In the meantime I took every precaution to defend my person in case the fiend should openly attack me.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
During this period of rest he has refused the most princely offers to take up various cases, having determined that his retirement was a permanent one.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
And then, why fled? and how? and in that case, can we venture to declare this suicide?
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Approximately half of the cases recur.
(Multicystic Mesothelioma, NCI Thesaurus)
