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Showing results for on file. Search instead for PAD file.
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.

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

It’s a good idea for both of you to have an account, given that it lets people review earnings history, personal information on file, and benefit estimates at different claiming ages.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 9, 2026

The state mandates an inspection if one isn’t on file under the current owner; most post-1999 historic tag holders are in that position, the MVA said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

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

But Mrs. Richardson managed to learn, through some artful questioning, that the address on file for Mia Wright had been a local one, with no parents listed.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

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.