Case

1. an instance of the occurrence, existence, etc., of something: Sailing in such a storm was a case of poor judgment. 2. the actual state of things: That is not the case. 3. a question or problem of moral conduct; matter: a case of conscience. 4. situation; circumstance; plight: Mine is a sad case. 5. a person or thing whose plight or situation calls for attention: This family is a hardship case. 6. a specific occurrence or matter requiring discussion, decision, or investigation, as by officials or law-enforcement authorities: The police studied the case of the missing jewels. 7. a stated argument used to support a viewpoint: He presented a strong case against the proposed law. 8. an instance of disease, injury, etc., requiring medical or surgical attention or treatment; individual affliction: She had a severe case of chicken pox. 9. a medical or surgical patient. 10. Law. a suit or action at law; cause. a set of facts giving rise to a legal claim, or to a defense to a legal claim. 11. Grammar. a category in the inflection of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, noting the syntactic relation of these words to other words in the sentence, indicated by the form or the position of the words. a set of such categories in a particular language. the meaning of or the meaning typical of such a category. such categories or their meanings collectively. 12. Informal. a peculiar or unusual person: He's a case.