Meanings
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1
noun
A named collection of data stored on a computer.
She saved the document as a new file on her laptop.
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2
noun
A folder or set of papers and records about a particular person or subject, kept together.
The police keep a file on every reported case.
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3
verb
To officially submit a document or request to an office or court.
They decided to file for divorce after years of arguing.
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4
verb
To walk forward one behind another in a line.
The students filed quietly into the classroom.
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5
verb
To rub something smooth with a small rough tool.
She filed her nails until they were perfectly even.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
Etymology
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”).
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