folder

American  

[fohl-der] / ˈfoʊl dər /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of folder

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

Example Sentences

His email had gone into a spam folder, but they were fixing the problem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

You might need to go to portals and download documents, and save them in your online folder.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Filling your folder sometimes means fishing for compliments, which can feel awkward.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

The 79-year-old brandished a folder in front of reporters that he said listed 365 achievements since he was sworn in on January 20 last year.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

“You know,” Mom said, pulling the page out of the folder and settling into a chair, “I was treasurer of my tenth-grade class. I beat out five other students.”

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

Related Words

• binder
• file
• pocket