nail file

American  

noun

1. a small file of metal or cardboard, for trimming, smoothing, or shaping the fingernails and sometimes having a point for removing dirt from under them.

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Etymology

Origin of nail file

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Compare meaning

How does nail-file compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• emery board vs. nail file

Example Sentences

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

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

Yet he promptly handed down a sentence so lenient it basically had a nail file baked right into it.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2019

He began to run the nail file under his fingernails—which were already perfectly clean.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger