file.
A collection of papers collated and archived together.
Meaning & usage
A collection of papers collated and archived together.
A roll or list.
A course of thought; a thread of narration.
An aggregation of data on a storage device, identified by a name.
He had created a file for coding to design a new product.
I'm going to delete these unwanted files to free up some disk space.
A row of modular kitchen units and a countertop, consisting of cabinets and appliances below (dishwasher) and next to (stove/cooker) a countertop.
Many homes now have double-file kitchens.
Clipping of file cabinet.
Where this word comes from
From Old French fil (“thread”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”). Doublet of filum.
To commit (official papers) to some office.
She filed their accounts yesterday.
To commit (official papers) to some office. To submit a formal request to some office.
She filed for divorce the next day.
The company filed for bankruptcy when the office opened on Monday.
(of a journalist) To submit (an article) to a newspaper or similar publication.
I filed my copy soon after the interview.
To place in an archive in a logical place and order.
Troves of documents filed away in the depository.
To store a file (aggregation of data) on a storage medium such as a disc or another computer.
To set in order; to arrange, or lay away.
Where this word comes from
From Old French fil (“thread”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”). Doublet of filum.
A column of people one behind another, whether "single file" or in a grid pattern.
The troops marched in Indian file.
A small detachment of soldiers.
One of the eight vertical lines of squares on a chessboard (i.e., those identified by a letter).
Where this word comes from
From French file, from filer (“to spin out, arrange one behind another”), from Latin fīlāre, from filum (“thread”).
To move in a file.
The applicants kept filing into the room until it was full.
Where this word comes from
From French file, from filer (“to spin out, arrange one behind another”), from Latin fīlāre, from filum (“thread”).
A tool consisting of a strip or rod of hardened and coarse metal, used for removing sharp edges, shaping, and cutting, especially through metal; usually a hand tool.
A cunning or resourceful person.
A pickpocket.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English file, fyle, from Old English fēl, fēol (“file”), from earlier fīil, from Proto-Germanic *finhlō, *finhilō (“file, rasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- (“to adorn, form”). Cognate with West Frisian file (“file”), Dutch vijl (“file”), German Feile (“file”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fil (“file”), Icelandic þjöl (“rasp, file”).
To smooth, grind, or cut with a file.
I'd better file the bottoms of the table legs. Otherwise they will scratch the flooring.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English file, fyle, from Old English fēl, fēol (“file”), from earlier fīil, from Proto-Germanic *finhlō, *finhilō (“file, rasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- (“to adorn, form”). Cognate with West Frisian file (“file”), Dutch vijl (“file”), German Feile (“file”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fil (“file”), Icelandic þjöl (“rasp, file”).
To defile.
To corrupt.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English filen (“to defile”), from Old English fȳlan (“to defile, make foul”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūlijan (“to make foul”). More at defile.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.