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• file
  file

  noun

  a folder, cabinet, or other container in which papers, letters, etc., are arranged in convenient order for storage or reference.
• filé
  filé

  noun

  a powder made from the ground leaves of the sassafras tree, used as a thickener and to impart a pungent taste to soups, gumbos, and other dishes.

file

¹ American  

[fahyl] / faɪl /

noun

1. a folder, cabinet, or other container in which papers, letters, etc., are arranged in convenient order for storage or reference.

2. a collection of papers, records, etc., arranged in convenient order.

   to make a file for a new account.

3. Computers. a collection of related data or program records stored on some input/output or auxiliary storage medium.

   This program's main purpose is to update the customer master file.

4. a line of persons or things arranged one behind another (distinguished from rank).

5. Military.

   1. a person in front of or behind another in a military formation.

   2. one step on a promotion list.

6. one of the vertical lines of squares on a chessboard.

7. a list or roll.

8. a string or wire on which papers are strung for preservation and reference.

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verb (used with object)

filed, filing

1. to place in a file.

2. to arrange (papers, records, etc.) in convenient order for storage or reference.

   Synonyms:

   index, catalog, label, classify, categorize, list

3. Journalism.

   1. to arrange (copy) in the proper order for transmittal by wire.

   2. to transmit (copy), as by wire or telephone.

      He filed copy from Madrid all through the war.

verb (used without object)

filed, filing

1. to march in a file or line, one after another, as soldiers.

   The parade filed past endlessly.

2. to make application.

   to file for a civil-service job.

idioms

1. on file, arranged in order for convenient reference; in a file.

   The names are on file in the office.

file ² American  

[fahyl] / faɪl /

noun

1. a long, narrow tool of steel or other metal having a series of ridges or points on its surfaces for reducing or smoothing surfaces of metal, wood, etc.

2. a small, similar tool for trimming and cleaning fingernails; nail file.

3. British Slang. a cunning, shrewd, or artful person.

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verb (used with object)

filed, filing

1. to reduce, smooth, or remove with or as if with a file.

file ³ American  

[fahyl] / faɪl /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

filed, filing

1. to defile; corrupt.

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filé ⁴ American  

[fi-lay, fee-lay] / fɪˈleɪ, ˈfi leɪ /

noun

New Orleans Cooking.

1. a powder made from the ground leaves of the sassafras tree, used as a thickener and to impart a pungent taste to soups, gumbos, and other dishes.

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file ¹ British  

/ faɪl /

noun

1. a hand tool consisting essentially of a steel blade with small cutting teeth on some or all of its faces. It is used for shaping or smoothing metal, wood, etc

2. rare a cunning or deceitful person

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verb

1. (tr) to shape or smooth (a surface) with a file

file ² British  

/ faɪl /

noun

1. a folder, box, etc, used to keep documents or other items in order

2. the documents, etc, kept in this way

3. documents or information about a specific subject, person, etc

   we have a file on every known thief

4. an orderly line or row

5. a line of people in marching formation, one behind another Compare rank 1

6. any of the eight vertical rows of squares on a chessboard

7. computing a named collection of information, in the form of text, programs, graphics, etc, held on a permanent storage device such as a magnetic disk

8. obsolete a list or catalogue

9. a group of problems or responsibilities, esp in government, associated with a particular topic

   the environment file

10. recorded or catalogued for reference, as in a file

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verb

1. to place (a document, letter, etc) in a file

2. (tr) to put on record, esp to place (a legal document) on public or official record; register

3. (tr) to bring (a suit, esp a divorce suit) in a court of law

4. (tr) to submit (copy) to a newspaper or news agency

5. (intr) to march or walk in a file or files

   the ants filed down the hill

file ³ British  

/ faɪl /

verb

1. obsolete (tr) to pollute or defile

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file Scientific  

/ fīl /

1. A collection of related data or program records stored as a unit with a single name. Files are the basic units that a computer works with in storing and retrieving data.

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file More Idioms  

1. see in single file; on file; rank and file.

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Other Word Forms

• filer
  noun
• nonfiler
  noun
• fileable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of file¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English verb filen, from Middle French filer “to string documents on a thread or wire,” Old French: “to wind or spin thread,” from Vulgar Latin fīlāre “to wind or spin thread,” from the Latin noun fīlum “a string, thread”; the English noun is derived from the verb

Origin of file²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fīl, fēol; cognate with German Feile; akin to Slavic (Polish) piła “saw”

Origin of file³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English fȳlan “to befoul, defile,” derivative of fūl foul

Origin of filé⁴

1800–10, < Louisiana French; literally, twisted, ropy, stringy (perhaps originally applied to dishes thickened with the powder), past participle of French filer; see file ¹

Explanation

To file is to submit an application or a record to some official authority, like a court, police station, or city hall. You might file a complaint against your neighbor after he shovels the snow from his driveway into yours. People file for divorce, file for bankruptcy, and file charges against criminals. You can also file a receipt or a record at home, by putting it in a file folder and then sliding the folder into a file cabinet. When you stand "single file," you're in a line or queue, and if the group moves a few steps, you can say it files forward.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

file filé filed filing

Prosecutors were handed an evidence file on 20 organisations and firms and 54 individuals from the Metropolitan Police earlier this week.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The association Rideshare Drivers United helped drivers file wage claims against San Francisco-based Lyft through 2020, according to the Labor Commissioner’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The 22-year-old told AFP, in fluent Japanese, that he had been waiting for five hours to file his paperwork.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Many wage-earners file their returns on time, pay their taxes on time and receive their refunds routinely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The tackler was the “janitor” from the FBI, the one who’d told Jonah to look at the file on Mr. Reardon’s desk.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Bailey's recipe calls for brandy and gumbo filé, which infuse the dish with a singular flavor.

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2021

Plentiful throughout the Gulf Coast, crawfish and shrimp are Choctaw staples and traditional seasonings like filé, the spice ground from dried sassafras bark, and spicy chiles are a perfect accompaniment.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2019

It also featured no seafood, and the filé powder was considered optional.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 8, 2019

Dressed in baggy jeans and a sweatshirt, Guy was hunched over the gumbo, adding just the right measure of hot sauce and, at the end, Tony Chachere’s Famous Creole Cuisine gumbo filé.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 4, 2019

Remove the vessel from the fire, and before pouring into the tureen, sprinkle in two tablespoonfuls of filé.

From Favorite Dishes : a Columbian Autograph Souvenir Cookery Book by Carrie V. Shuman

Insurance companies determined fraternities had become such a risk they were ranked “just behind hazardous waste disposal companies and asbestos contractors,” according to the lawsuit filed against the Cornell fraternity brothers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

No charges were initially filed in the case.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

York filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle Belluomini York, in May.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Sam Sankar, senior vice president of programs for the legal nonprofit Earthjustice, which filed a brief in the case supporting Boulder, was not overly optimistic.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Before Trevor had the chance to answer, the door swung open and a few students filed out.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

When he insisted on filing a claim under Title IX, he said Cornell strongly encouraged him to go through the university’s channels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

But the CBP had said in a court filing this week that the pause had lapsed on September 30 and work would soon resume.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

"One needle was bent in a 90-degree angle when it was removed," the filing states.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The economics of certain business models, such as robots-as-a-service, also remain mostly untested and have not been a proven success for at least one humanoid company, Agility, according to a regulatory filing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

“I’m filing another complaint about this thing today. Lockers should open. It shouldn’t be rocket science.”

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Related Words

• book
• case
• data
• directory
• dossier
• folder
• information
• list
• notebook
• record