1
: a tool usually of hardened steel with cutting ridges for forming or smoothing surfaces especially of metal
2
: a shrewd or crafty person
filed; filing
: to rub, smooth, or cut away with or as if with a file
She filed her nails.
filed; filing
1
: to arrange in order for preservation and reference
file letters
2
a
: to place among official records as prescribed by law
file a mortgage
b
: to send (copy) to a newspaper
filed a story
c
: to return to the office of the clerk of a court without action on the merits
3
: to initiate (something, such as a legal action) through proper formal procedure
threatened to file charges
1
: to register as a candidate especially in a primary election
2
: to place items in a file
3
: to submit documents necessary to initiate a legal proceeding
file for bankruptcy
1
: a device (such as a folder, case, or cabinet) by means of which papers are kept in order
2
b
: a collection of papers or publications usually arranged or classified
c(1)
: a collection of related data records (as for a computer)
(2)
: a complete collection of data (such as text or a program) treated by a computer as a unit especially for purposes of input and output
1
2
: any of the rows of squares that extend across a chessboard from one player's side to the other player's side
variants
or less commonly file
: powdered young leaves of sassafras used to thicken soups or stews
Examples of file in a Sentence
Verb (1)
beautifully filed nails that obviously had been done by a manicurist
Noun (3)
a long file of people waiting to get tickets to the game
Verb (4)
to the strains of that familiar music, this year's graduating class filed into the auditorium
Recent Examples on the Web
Douglas Walker, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Libby filed her lawsuit against Fecteau to have the censure overturned on March 11.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025
Bethany Brown, People.com, 12 May 2025
But the Marshals Service, which is responsible for capturing fugitives, has never closed its file.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for file
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Federal prosecutors said those clients were unaware that Christina Moles, now 50, had falsified their returns, which were filed between 2015 and 2021.
—Douglas Walker, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Libby filed her lawsuit against Fecteau to have the censure overturned on March 11.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025
Noun
The evidence had sat idle in the case files for decades — but a 2018 upgrade to the FBI’s fingerprint search algorithm, which allowed for more accurate and expansive matches, ultimately reopened the case.
—Bethany Brown, People.com, 12 May 2025
But the Marshals Service, which is responsible for capturing fugitives, has never closed its file.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for file
Cite this Entry
“File.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/file. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
file
1 of 6 noun
: a usually steel tool with sharp ridges or teeth on its surface for smoothing hard substances
file
2 of 6 verb
filed; filing
: to rub, smooth, or cut away with a file
file
3 of 6 verb
filed; filing
1
: to arrange in order for keeping or reference
2
: to enter or record as required by law
file
4 of 6 noun1
: a device (as a folder, case, or cabinet) for keeping papers or records in order
2
a
: a collection of papers or records arranged in order
b
: a collection of data considered as a unit (as for a computer)
file
5 of 6 noun
: a row of persons, animals, or things arranged one behind the other
file
6 of 6 verb
filed; filing
: to march or proceed in file
Etymology
Noun
Old English fēol "tool for smoothing rough edges"
Verb
Middle English filen "to arrange (documents) in order," from Medieval Latin filare "to thread documents on a string," derived from Latin filum "thread" — related to file entry 5
Noun
from early French file "a row of things," from filer (verb) "to spin," derived from Latin filum "thread" — related to file entry 3
Medical Definition
file
noun1
: a tool usually of hardened steel with cutting ridges for forming or smoothing surfaces (as of a tooth)
2
: a narrow instrument for shaping fingernails with a fine rough metal or emery surface
file
transitive verb
filed; filing
Legal Definition
file
1 of 2 verb
filed; filing
1
a
: to submit (a legal document) to the proper office (as the office of a clerk of court) for keeping on file among the records especially as a procedural step in a legal transaction or proceeding
filed a tax return
a financing statement filed with the Secretary of State
filing a notice of appeal
also
: record
filed a mortgage in the Registry of Deeds
Note: In nearly all cases, a document is deemed to be filed when it is actually received by the office to which it is directed. A few cases, however, have held that a document is filed upon the mailing of it.
b
: to place (as a document) on file among the records of an office especially by formally receiving and endorsing
a complaint filed by the clerk despite the absence of the filing fee
2
: to return (the documentation in a case) to the records of a clerk of court without any determination of the case
broadly
: to conclude (a case) without a determination on its merits
3
: to initiate (a judicial or administrative proceeding) by submitting the proper documents or following proper procedure : bring
threatened to file charges
two separate actions were filed by representatives of the estates—J. H. Friedenthal et al.
J. H. Friedenthal et al.1
: to register as a candidate especially in a primary election
2
: to place items in a file
file
2 of 2 noun
: a collection of papers or publications usually arranged or classified
specifically
: the papers that make up the record of a case
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