a line of persons or things ranged one behind the other
"The security guard stood at the front of the file to manage the crowd waiting for tickets."
office furniture consisting of a container for keeping papers in order
"She organized her messy desk by placing every document into the metal file on her left."
a steel hand tool with small sharp teeth on some or all of its surfaces; used for smoothing wood or metal
"He carefully ran his file over the rough edge of the wooden chair to smooth out the splinters before he sanded it."
A collection of papers collated and archived together.
"After grinding down the rough edge on his new chisel, he reached into his toolbox to grab the heavy steel file."
A column of people one behind another, whether "single file" or in a large group with many files side by side.
A hand tool consisting of a handle to which a block of coarse metal is attached, and used for removing sharp edges or for cutting, especially through metal.
In plain English: A file is a folder on your computer where you keep and organize digital documents.
"She kept all her tax documents in a safe file cabinet."
Usage: Use the word file as a noun when referring to the handheld tool with a rough metal surface used to smooth or shape hard materials like wood or metal. Do not use it in this sense when you mean an organized collection of documents or records.
To commit (official papers) to some office.
"They were horrified to learn that someone had filed the sacred temple grounds with trash and graffiti."
To move in a file.
To smooth, grind, or cut with a file.
To defile.
In plain English: To file something means to organize it into a specific system so you can find it easily later.
"The vandals attempted to file the ancient monument with spray paint."
Usage: Do not use "file" as a verb to mean defile or soil; instead, use it to describe organizing documents electronically or physically submitting them to an official authority. The word for making something dirty is "defile," while "file" strictly relates to record-keeping and legal submission.
A surname.
"The new neighbor introduced himself as Mr. File to everyone at the block party."
The word file comes from the Old French word fil, which means "thread." This traces back to the Latin fīlum, also meaning "thread."