nail file
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of nail file
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
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How does nail-file compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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
Trim toenails straight across, and use a nail file on corners, instead of cutting them.
From Washington Post • Jul. 18, 2022
After his time on the show, former engineering student Tom Pellereau used the investment to invent and bring to market a curved nail file, which is now stocked by major supermarkets.
From BBC • Dec. 19, 2019
After she led him inside, he filled a bowl with warm water and dish soap, and after she’d retrieved her nail file and polish, he’d instructed her to put her hands into the water.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
