cased

cased — adjective

IPA/keɪst/
IPA/keɪst/
  • casedpositive
  • more casedcomparative
  • most casedsuperlative

1. wrapped or covered by a tight outer layer, such as a protective box, container,

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

wrapped or covered by a tight outer layer, such as a protective box, container, or shell that fits closely around the object.

Example

The museum displayed a cased collection of ancient coins from the Han dynasty.

cased collection — noun phrase with cased as modifier

Her cased violin survived the long flight without a single scratch.

Common collocations
  • cased collection
  • cased specimen
  • cased instrument
  • cased in leather
  • cased in glass
Synonyms
  • encased

    nearly identical in meaning; 'encased' is more common in everyday writing

  • housed

    less specific; can mean stored or contained, not necessarily tightly covered

  • sheathed

    suggests a long thin covering, like a blade in its scabbard

Antonyms
  • uncovered

    with no outer covering at all

  • exposed

    not protected by any casing or container

Grammar Patterns

cased + noun

noun + cased in + material

Usage Note

Common in museum, shipping, and technical contexts. The phrase 'cased in' is used when the covering material is specified (e.g., 'cased in leather').

Common Mistakes

The package was cased with bubble wrap.
The package was wrapped in bubble wrap.
'cased' typically implies a rigid or fitted container, not soft padding.

cased — verb

IPA/kˈeɪst/
IPA/kˈeɪst/

Word family

  • case
    nounA2
  • encase
    verbB2
  • encasement
    nounC1
  • casing
    nounB2
  • uncased
    adjectiveC1
  • uncase
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/3

All four words describe examining a location, but they differ in purpose and register. 'Case' is informal slang used almost exclusively for planning a crime — it carries a strong implication that the observer intends to steal from the place. 'Reconnoitre' is formal, from military language; it means surveying an area for strategic purposes (enemy positions, terrain) and is very rare in everyday speech. 'Scout out' is neutral and general — you can scout out a restaurant before a date or a hiking trail before a trip. 'Check out' is the most casual and broad of the group; it can mean to look at anything with any degree of curiosity ('Check out that new café'). When you want to suggest a criminal purpose, choose 'case' to be specific; for all other purposes, 'scout out' or 'check out' are more appropriate.

case ↗reconnoitrescout out ↗check out ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • cased in
  • cased with

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Comes from the noun 'case' (a container or covering), which entered English from Old French 'cas' (box), tracing further back to Latin 'capsa' (a box or repository). The verb senses developed gradually: the general meaning 'to put in a case' was used from the 1500s. The technical sense for lining a well shaft appeared in the late 1800s with the growth of oil drilling. The slang sense 'to inspect a place for robbery' emerged in American English around the early 1900s, probably from the idea of 'putting a case around' a place by studying its boundaries and weak points.

First known use

1525

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1