nail file
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of nail file
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Using these tools and a nail file that Starr had slipped in her pocket when she used the restroom, they cut the zip ties and came up with a plan.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025
"And you can sit there with a nail file and try to pry the chiton off; you will lose."
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024
It’s helpful, however, to keep the nail clean, trim it frequently and use a nail file to thin the nail if it’s thickened.
From Washington Post • Jul. 18, 2022
Tom moved back in with his parents for five years while he developed the curvy nail file that made him famous.
From BBC • May 6, 2021
She grabbed the long nail file off the daybed.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
