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Synonyms

on file

Idioms  

  1. In or as if in a record for easy reference. For example, There's no job open right now, but we'll keep your résumé on file. The use of file in the sense of “a collection of papers stored for ready reference” dates from the early 1600s.

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.

When ballots are sent by mail, election officials are required to verify a voter’s signature on the ballot by comparing it with the signature on the official voter registration records on file.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

In the Texas Panhandle, Potter County elections officials quickly confirmed through DPS that three of nine voters on their list had proof of citizenship on file.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2026

Companies such as travel-booking site Klook, crypto assets platform BitGo and construction equipment rental EquipmentShare are on file to go public and may hit markets next year, Bochanis said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

Not one of those 132 cases on file with the Uefa disciplinary body involves a Premier League club, but fans continue to carry the weight of past reputation.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

“Apparently they do have them. Bunny was in the Boy Scouts and his troop went in and was fingerprinted for some kind of Law Enforcement badge, years ago. They’re still on file somewhere.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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.