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.

The Qatari plane has oversize leather seats and a faux library bookcase.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 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

Hynes places his headphones down and drifts over to his bookcase, before coming back into frame 30 seconds later.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025

The entrance to this moody cocktail lounge is located through a bookcase in a nondescript storefront in downtown.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

What caught my eye was a bookcase set dead in the middle of the room.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

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