folder

American  

[fohl-der] / ˈfoʊl dər /

noun

• folders
  plural

1. a person or thing that folds.

2. a printed sheet, as a circular or timetable, folded into a number of usually pagelike sections.

3. a folded sheet of light cardboard used to cover or hold papers, letters, etc., as in a file.

4. Computers. directory.

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folder British  

/ ˈfəʊldə /

noun

1. a binder or file for holding loose papers, etc

2. a folded circular

3. a machine for folding printed sheets

4. a person or thing that folds

5. computing another name for directory

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• folders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of folder

First recorded in 1545–55; fold ¹ + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

folder folders

He put the top secret papers in a bright orange cardboard folder and sat on the train the next morning thinking over and over "do not forget this".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Most prime ministers enter PMQs with a thick folder of notes covering what they hope is every conceivable question they might face.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

So she set up a “deals” folder and routed all the promotions out of her inbox.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

And just the other day she found a folder on her computer full of songs she wrote years ago with her friend Marvin Etzioni of Lone Justice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

She put my take-home folder on the table.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

A July trip to Target to get everything on her list — among the items, two packs of wired headphones, Band-Aids, eight folders and four composition notebooks — cost about $230.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

The target folders ensured that agents apprehended the correct person.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The lawsuit claims that Liu did not return an Apple-issued work laptop and exploited a “rare, previously unknown” bug to access Apple’s shared network folders while employed at OpenAI.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

In the digital world, I have difficulties too: filling out online forms or setting up an email address can see my name rejected and the emails I send often go into spam folders.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

“Inside these folders, you’ll find your buddies’ schedules, as well as a paragraph with a little bit about the person assigned to you.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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Related Words

• binder
• file
• pocket

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