nail file

American

noun

a small file of metal or cardboard, for trimming, smoothing, or shaping the fingernails and sometimes having a point for removing dirt from under them.

Etymology

Origin of nail file

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Compare meaning

How does nail-file compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

emery board vs. nail file

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.

Using these tools and a nail file that Starr had slipped in her pocket when she used the restroom, they cut the zip ties and came up with a plan.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

"And you can sit there with a nail file and try to pry the chiton off; you will lose."

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024

After his time on the show, former engineering student Tom Pellereau used the investment to invent and bring to market a curved nail file, which is now stocked by major supermarkets.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2019

Yet he promptly handed down a sentence so lenient it basically had a nail file baked right into it.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2019

Ivette grabbed a nail file from my dresser.

From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez

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