Synonyms

bookcase

American

[book-keys] / ˈbʊkˌkeɪs /

noun

a set of shelves for books.

bookcase British

/ ˈbʊkˌkeɪs /

noun

a piece of furniture containing shelves for books, often fitted with glass doors

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bookcase

First recorded in 1720–30; book + case ²

Compare meaning

How does bookcase compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

bookshelf vs. bookcase

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His two youngest girls play, in a discarded bookcase – the nearest they have to a dolls house.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Restoration work was carried out on both the building and its contents, including rewaxing a rare Chippendale bookcase estimated to be worth about £20m.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Scanning my bookcase, which contains a few hundred volumes, it occurred to me that none of them would make sense if Sister Albertine hadn’t grown me into a reader.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Slaughter’s bookcase — which she reveals she designed herself — includes work by Southern writers she admires and champions.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

And when he sat at a table on the other side of the library, barely visible around a bookcase, I bent over my phone and texted Lorren.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023