Meanings
- To allow for the possibility that.
I'll take an umbrella, in case it rains.
2 more examples
I’ve bought a chicken in case grandpa should stay to dine.
Many's the day I've spent by the phone in case you called.
Synonyms: in the event
- CanadaUSIf.
In case you need me, I'll be home all day.
1 more example
Whenever tempted to resume my sex, I was invariably met with the thought — what then? […] The chances were but few in case I resumed my other character, that I would be able to command the amount necessary for their [her children's] support.
1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 17
Synonyms & antonyms
conjunctionTo allow for the possibility that.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbif there happens to be need
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle English[Term?]
- Englishin case
From Middle English [Term?].
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic فِي حَال
- فِي حَال (fī ḥāl)because event X might occur
Bulgarian в слу́чай
- в слу́чай (v slúčaj)because event X might occur
Catalan en cas que
- en cas quebecause event X might occur
Chinese Mandarin 如果, 以防
- 如果 (rúguǒ)because event X might occur
- 以防 (yǐfáng)because event X might occur
Czech v případě
- v případěbecause event X might occur
Danish i fald, for det fald, at
- i faldbecause event X might occur
- for det fald, atbecause event X might occur
- såfremtbecause event X might occur
- i tilfælde afbecause event X might occur
Dutch voor het geval dat
- voor het geval datbecause event X might occur
Finnish mikäli, siinä tapauksessa
- mikälibecause event X might occur
- siinä tapauksessa (että...)because event X might occur
French au cas où
- au cas oùbecause event X might occur
German falls, im Falle
- fallsbecause event X might occur
- im Fallebecause event X might occur
- für den Fall, dassbecause event X might occur
Greek σε περίπτωση που
- σε περίπτωση που (se períptosi pou)because event X might occur
Hungarian arra az esetre, ha
- arra az esetre, habecause event X might occur
Italian qualora
- qualorabecause event X might occur
Japanese …の場合に
- …の場合に (... no baai ni)because event X might occur
Korean …은/ㄴ 경우에는
- …은/ㄴ 경우에는 (…-eun/-n gyeong'u-e-neun)because event X might occur
Māori me kore, kei tūpono
- me korebecause event X might occur
- kei tūponobecause event X might occur
Norwegian Bokmål i tilfelle
- i tilfellebecause event X might occur
Polish w razie, na wypadek
- w raziebecause event X might occur
- na wypadekbecause event X might occur
- w przypadkubecause event X might occur
Portuguese caso, no caso de
- casobecause event X might occur
- no caso debecause event X might occur
- para casobecause event X might occur
Russian в слу́чае, на слу́чай
- в слу́чае (v slúčaje)because event X might occur
- на слу́чай (na slúčaj)because event X might occur
Slovak v prípade
- v prípadebecause event X might occur
Spanish por si acaso, por si
- por si acasobecause event X might occur
- por sibecause event X might occur
Swedish i händelse, ifall
- i händelsebecause event X might occur
- ifallbecause event X might occur
Turkish eğer
- eğerbecause event X might occur
Ukrainian у ра́зі, у ви́падку
- у ра́зі (u rázi)because event X might occur
- у ви́падку (u výpadku)because event X might occur
Vietnamese không thôi
- không thôibecause event X might occur
Welsh rhag ofn
- rhag ofnbecause event X might occur
Yiddish טאָמער
- טאָמער (tomer)because event X might occur
Cite this entry
in case. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20case
“in case.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20case. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in case,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20case.
Source: in case on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.