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Showing results for on file. Search instead for PAD file.
Synonyms

on file

Idioms  

  1. In or as if in a record for easy reference. For example, There's no job open right now, but we'll keep your résumé on file. The use of file in the sense of “a collection of papers stored for ready reference” dates from the early 1600s.

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.

When ballots are sent by mail, election officials are required to verify a voter’s signature on the ballot by comparing it with the signature on the official voter registration records on file.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

In the Texas Panhandle, Potter County elections officials quickly confirmed through DPS that three of nine voters on their list had proof of citizenship on file.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2026

The state mandates an inspection if one isn’t on file under the current owner; most post-1999 historic tag holders are in that position, the MVA said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Not one of those 132 cases on file with the Uefa disciplinary body involves a Premier League club, but fans continue to carry the weight of past reputation.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

His description didn’t match anything we have on file for Day—but the truth is, we know little about what he looks like, except that he’s young, like the kid at the hospital tonight.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

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.