in case
Idioms-
Also, just in case . If it should happen that. For example, In case he doesn't show up, we have a backup speaker . The variant also is used without a following clause to mean simply “as a precaution,” as in I took an umbrella just in case . [c. 1400]
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in case of ; in the event of . If there should happen to be. For example, Here is a number to call in case of an emergency , or In the event of a power failure, we'll have to shift our plans . Similarly, in that case means “if that should happen,” as in You're alone in the store? In that case I'll bring your lunch . The first usage dates from the early 1700s, the second (with event ) from about 1600, and the third from the mid-1800s. Also see in any case ; in no case ; in the case of .
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.
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I really need to make sure I stay in this ZIP Code in case I run for mayor,’” Pratt said in the video.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Spanish newspaper El País reported that aircraft would only be able to transit through Spain's airspace or land at the bases in case of emergency.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Well, if you use ChatGPT to plan it, maybe just bake in extra time in case things go awry.
From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026
Just in case you’re still not scared, the taxpayer watchdog Open the Books explains the burden when applying a full Norrisian time scale:
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Ben put together a search team to comb the property, just in case they’d been injured somewhere and needed help.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.