case
n 1: (law) a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of
law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy; "the
family brought suit against the landlord" [syn: {lawsuit},
{suit}, {cause}, {causa}]
2: an occurrence of something; "it was a case of bad judgment";
"another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is
always the famous example of the Smiths" [syn: {instance},
{example}]
3: a special set of circumstances; "in that event, the first
possibility is excluded"; "it may rain in which case the
picnic will be canceled" [syn: {event}]
4: a problem requiring investigation; "Perry Mason solved the
case of the missing heir"
5: the actual state of things; "that was not the case"
6: a statement of facts and reasons used to support an
argument; "he stated his case clearly"
7: a portable container for carrying several objects; "the
musicians left their instrument cases backstage"
8: a person who is subjected to experimental or other
observational procedures; someone who is an object of
investigation; "the subjects for this investigation were
selected randomly"; "the cases that we studied were drawn
from two different communities" [syn: {subject}, {guinea
pig}]
9: a person requiring professional services; "a typical case
was the suburban housewife described by a marriage
counselor"
10: the quantity contained in a case [syn: {caseful}]
11: a glass container used to store and display items in a shop
or museum or home [syn: {display case}, {showcase}]
12: nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection)
related in some way to other words in a sentence [syn: {grammatical
case}]
13: the outer covering or housing of something; "the clock has a
walnut case" [syn: {shell}, {casing}]
14: a person of a specified kind (usually with many
eccentricities); "a strange character"; "a friendly
eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a mental case" [syn: {character},
{eccentric}, {type}]
15: a specific state of mind that is temporary; "a case of the
jitters"
16: an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or
plant organ or part [syn: {sheath}]
17: the enclosing frame around a door or window opening; "the
casings had rotted away and had to be replaced" [syn: {casing}]
18: a cover for a pillow; "the burglar carried his loot in a
pillowcase" [syn: {pillowcase}, {slip}, {pillow slip}]
v 1: look over, usually with the intention to rob; "They men
cased the housed"
2: enclose in, or as if in, a case "my feet were encased in
mud." [syn: {encase}]
3: put into a case [syn: {encase}]