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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-ley, fee-ley] / 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 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 ² British  

/ faɪl /

verb

1. obsolete (tr) to pollute or defile

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file ³ 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 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

"A substantial file of material was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in February 2025 and, following further lines of enquiry being undertaken, charges were authorised by the CPS," it added.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

It aims to file a notice of its plans with the Toronto Stock Exchange and begin the one-year buyback program on or around Sept. 8.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

“The city has left us with no choice but to file a lawsuit to enforce the law,” he said, and consequences for taxpayers may be grave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Regardless of whether you take this job or one down the line, I’d file this away as a huge lesson.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

I slam it shut, file it in my garbage can.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2021

She describes what should be in your “Cajun larder,” defining filé powder and cane vinegar for the uninitiated.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2020

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

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

Instead, after CASA, the court can usually prevent only a losing government from enforcing its unlawful rule against the specific parties that filed the lawsuit.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

Spishak-Thomas became a leading researcher on the issue after her grandmother died and the state where she lived filed a claim against the estate, forcing her uncle to sell the house to pay the bill.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The airport has now filed a Pre Application Notice, which triggers a public consultation ahead of a full planning application which is likely to be made later this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Smart-ring maker Oura—whose fitness-tracking devices are favorites of the finance set—is now weighing a September or October offering after having filed its paperwork in May, people familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

I heard the guys snickering as we filed into the locker room.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

If so, who would be responsible for filing them?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

A filing, signed by Rep. Nancy Pelosi on Aug. 21, showed purchases of 15,000 shares of Bloom Energy and 200 call options.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

In a filing on Monday, external, Shein said it will offer nearly 280 million shares for between HK$47.60 and HK$49.50.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

In 2021, the most recent available public tax filing, the WallBuilders nonprofit paid Barton’s for-profit entities $267,071 in royalty fees for sales of his books.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

“My professor is giving extra credit, which I sorely need, for coming in early and organizing his decrepit filing system. This is my diligent-student costume.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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