From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(just) in case(just) in casea) IFas a way of being safe from something that might happen or might be true Take an umbrella, in case it rains. He had his camera ready, just in case he saw something that would make a good picture. b) American EnglishIF if In case I’m late, start without me.GRAMMAR: Choosing the right tense• Use the simple present tense with in case to talk about a possible future event. Don’t use ‘will’. You say: Write it down in case you forget. ✗Don’t say: in case you will forget• Use the simple past tense with in case when talking about the past. Don’t use ‘would’. You say: I took my umbrella in case it rained. ✗Don’t say: in case it would rain• In more formal English, you can say in case something should happen: Here’s a contact number, in case there should be a problem. → case
Examples from the Corpus
(just) in case• In case you missed the last program, here's a summary of the story.• In case a dish fails to appease a customer, Steve Carrasco can always make a flying getaway.• In case you're wondering-for the hospital form-this is how you spell tetanus.• A few latecomers are nosing gloomily around in case the professionals have left anything worth having.• Deep tendon reflexes are usually diminished, but in cases with prominent lateral column disease may be hyperactive with extensor plantar reflexes.• Viral cultures during an attack will give the diagnosis in cases such as these.• They had delivered the correct total quantity of tins but half of them were packed in cases of 24 tins each.• There are spare batteries in there, in case you need them.• Not typical in cases like this.• How can an individual get permission to photocopy or videotape in cases where there is no fair use exception? 