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

Regulars had their usual jotted down in shorthand and kept in a folder to be used as soon as they walked in.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

They can instead use a natural-language interface, where you can speak as you normally do to your Alexa device, and it grabs the right folder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Sullivan—a gruff Irish-Catholic variety-show host who could make or break careers—dropped a folder on the table, a dossier of FBI and press clippings, and asked bluntly:

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

A good checklist is to go to last year’s tax folder and see what you ended up with in there, and try to match everything with new documents.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 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