lower case

American

[loh-er] / ˈloʊ ər /

noun

Printing.

case28

lower case British

noun

a compositor's type case, in which the small letters are kept

"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

adjective

of or relating to small letters

"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

verb

(tr) to print with lower-case letters

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

lower cases

plural

Etymology

Origin of lower case

First recorded in 1675–85

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.

Occasionally commenters complain about the lower case letters or can’t keep up with the newest slang.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

You won't see any of those written in all lower case.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2022

And yes, those are two lower case i’s on the website address.

From Washington Times • Sep. 8, 2022

On Spotify, the title is all lower case - why is that?

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2021

The scription of this old MS. is in a thick, lower case, roman letter.

From A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume Three by Dibdin, Thomas Frognall

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