Dictionary entry details
• CASE (noun)
Meaning:
A comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
case; causa; lawsuit; suit; cause
Context example:
the family brought suit against the landlord
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)
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))
moot (a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise)
criminal suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of criminal law by the defendant)
countersuit (a suit brought against someone who has sued you)
class action; class-action suit (a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group)
Meaning:
An occurrence of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
instance; case; example
Context examples:
it was a case of bad judgment / another instance occurred yesterday / but there is always the famous example of the Smiths
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"):
humiliation; mortification (an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect)
bit; piece (an instance of some kind)
clip; time (an instance or single occasion for some event)
Meaning:
A special set of circumstances
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
event; case
Context examples:
in that event, the first possibility is excluded / it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
circumstance (a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity)
Meaning:
A problem requiring investigation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Context example:
Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
problem (a question raised for consideration or solution)
Meaning:
The actual state of things
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Context example:
that was not the case
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
fact (a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred)
Meaning:
A statement of facts and reasons used to support an argument
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Context example:
he stated his case clearly
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
argument; statement (a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true)
Meaning:
A portable container for carrying several objects
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Context example:
the musicians left their instrument cases backstage
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"):
pillbox (a small case for holding pills)
portfolio (a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps; usually leather)
quiver (case for holding arrows)
shoe ((card games) a case from which playing cards are dealt one at a time)
sleeve (small case into which an object fits)
billfold; notecase; pocketbook; wallet (a pocket-size case for holding papers and paper money)
watch case (the metal case in which the works of a watch are housed)
writing desk (a portable case containing writing materials and having a writing surface)
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 (a case used to carry belongings when traveling)
Meaning:
A person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
guinea pig; subject; case
Context examples:
the subjects for this investigation were selected randomly / the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)
Meaning:
A person requiring professional services
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Context example:
a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor
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"):
charity case; welfare case (a case for a welfare worker)
patient (a person who requires medical care)
client (a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer)
Meaning:
The quantity contained in a case
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Synonyms:
caseful; case
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
containerful (the quantity that a container will hold)
Meaning:
A glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
display case; vitrine; showcase; case
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)
Meaning:
A specific state of mind that is temporary
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Context example:
a case of the jitters
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
frame of mind; state of mind (a temporary psychological state)
Meaning:
Nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
grammatical case; case
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)
Meaning:
The housing or outer covering of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
casing; shell; case
Context example:
the clock has a walnut case
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 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)
Meaning:
A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
eccentric; type; character; case
Context examples:
a real character / a strange character / a friendly eccentric / the capable type / a mental case
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
adult; grownup (a fully developed person from maturity onward)
Meaning:
An enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part
Classified under:
Nouns denoting body parts
Synonyms:
sheath; case
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"):
husk (outer membranous covering of some fruits or seeds)
neurilemma; neurolemma (thin membranous sheath around a nerve fiber)
medullary sheath; myelin sheath (a layer of myelin encasing (and insulating) the axons of medullated nerve fibers)
lorica (a hard protective sheath as secreted by certain protoctists e.g.)
theca (outer sheath of the pupa of certain insects)
Meaning:
The enclosing frame around a door or window opening
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
casing; case
Context example:
the casings had rotted away and had to be replaced
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
frame; framework; framing (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)
Meaning:
Bed linen consisting of a cover for a pillow
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
pillowcase; pillow slip; slip; case
Context example:
the burglar carried his loot in a pillowcase
Hypernyms ("case" is a kind of...):
bed linen (linen or cotton articles for a bed (as sheets and pillowcases))
• CASE (verb)
Meaning:
Look over, usually with the intention to rob
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Context example:
They men cased the housed
Hypernyms (to "case" is one way to...):
inspect (look over carefully)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Enclose in, or as if in, a case
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
encase; incase; case
Context example:
my feet were encased in mud
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)
box; package (put into a box)
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
