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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 /

verb

1. obsolete (tr) to pollute or defile

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file ² 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 ³ 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 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

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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

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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

Losing candidates in both House and Senate races can file contests, with slightly different processes in each of the two chambers.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

According to Paris, executors said in 2011 they would file a petition to begin funding the trust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Why, then, did the government file the information?

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

A lawyer representing protesters at Lisbon's housing camps, Ricardo Sa Fernandes, said Sunday he would file a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Luis Neves and the national police chief for abuse of power.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

“As of this evening, I have officially divorced your mother. Well, I’ve started the process, at least. My lawyer had the papers ready to file the moment she was arrested. So, cheers.”

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2021

Sprinkle with the parsley or scallions, if using, and serve with hot sauce and filé powder, if desired.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 9, 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

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

Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy has said those connected to LIV Golf were expressing an ambition to "destroy the European Tour" at the 2026 Masters, only months before the league filed for bankruptcy protection.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

The settlement also resolves a 2025 charge filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, under which Lockheed will pay $7.5 million to 1,000 Lockheed employees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Of six cases filed in 2015 under that law, two were closed in 2017 after the companies provided information in response to the legal notices, while investigations into four remain open.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

Last month, Character.AI filed for bankruptcy, and Disney offered $20 million to license some of the startup’s intellectual property.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

As they filed through the outer doorway, they thanked Doha’s parents for their hospitality.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

“Who remembers in February when it was the end of the candidate filing and no one was, like, running for mayor?” asked City Controller Kenneth Mejia at Raman’s election night party.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Its annual report and latest quarterly filing show $9.7 billion of purchases under its buyback programs from January through September, down from $10.7 billion a year earlier.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

These forms often arrive after tax season, which can cause annual filing headaches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that it works closely with the district attorney’s office “throughout the investigative and judicial processes and respects its role in reviewing cases for filing consideration.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Jamie paged through the Capital One 10-K filing in search of someone inside the company he might plausibly ask to meet.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Related Words

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

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