- a box or folded piece of card for keeping loose papers together and in order
- a box file
- A stack of files awaited me on my desk.
- in a file I keep paper copies of all my invoices in this file.
Extra ExamplesTopics Working lifeb1- She closed the file and put it aside.
- She went to the filing cabinet and took out a file.
- Some files and papers were taken away by the investigators.
- In those days, most of us were perfectly happy to keep contact information in desktop card files.
- Previously all reports were held in paper files.
- six box files bulging with notes
- He brings out a cardboard file full of photographs.
- a lever arch file
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bulging
- bulky
- thick
- …
- box
- stack
- have
- keep
- maintain
- …
- contain something
- cabinet
- drawer
- folder
- …
- in a/the file
- on file
- file on
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- a collection of information stored together in a computer, under a particular name
- to create/delete/download/upload a file
- to open/access/copy/save a file
- a/an PDF/audio/text/image file
- The service converts video files from one format to another.
- You can transfer and edit files on your smartphone.
- The media player supports a wide variety of file formats.
Extra ExamplesTopics Computersb1- Working online eliminates the need to download massive files before working on them.
- This feature lets you upload video files to the app.
- You can drag and drop files onto your desktop.
- All you need to do is unzip the file into a folder.
- All these files are stored in the same folder.
- Delete temporary files and folders.
- Send your application as a PDF file via email.
- music files stored on USB
- You can open, save and convert PowerPoint files.
- The app is great for accessing files stored in the cloud.
- Right-click a file, series of files, or a folder and select ‘Compress’.
- how to recover deleted files
- Data has been deleted from this file.
- to create a backup file
- You need a special password to access this file.
- This is a must for fast file transfers.
- The sync time from your local folder to the cloud depends on file size.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- computer
- digital
- …
- directory
- list
- set
- …
- create
- download
- upload
- …
- contain something
- name
- format
- size
- …
- in a/the file
- a file and the information it contains, for example about a particular person or subject
- The film is based on real FBI case files.
- secret police files
- I made a note in his personal file.
- on file Your application will be kept on file (= in a file, to be used later).
- file on somebody to have/open/keep a confidential file on somebody
- Police have reopened the file (= have started collecting information again) on the missing girl.
Extra Examples- He had compiled a file of largely circumstantial evidence.
- I'll check the files for any information on the case.
- It is important to update customer files.
- Personnel files are kept in secure storage.
- She was threatened with the placement of a disciplinary letter in her personnel file.
- The company keeps secret files on all its employees.
- All the details of the transaction are on file.
- They had it on file that he'd applied for a loan.
- The company has more than 4,000 experts on file who can be consulted depending on a client's requirements.
- The details of the incident will be entered into the file.
- The file on the murder was closed five years ago.
- The police already have a thick file on that family.
- The work involves preparing case files and attending court.
- Henry was a victim of so much abuse that it actually brought tears to my eyes when reading his case file.
- A file on the incident was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
- He thought they were monitoring his emails, building a file on him.
- She discovered the KGB had a file on her.
- the information contained in the police files
- the information held in this file
- The police were accused of keeping secret files on political activists.
- Confidential files on clients are kept for a maximum of three years.
- He had prepared a file containing all the evidence.
- Exactly what information is kept in these files?
- Hospitals would not allow patients access to their own case files.
- It's all in your medical files.
- According to intelligence files, he was suspected of being a spy.
- According to my files, this invoice has not been paid.
- Please add this document to your files.
- It's important to update your files regularly.
- Some of the files had gone missing.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bulging
- bulky
- thick
- …
- box
- stack
- have
- keep
- maintain
- …
- contain something
- cabinet
- drawer
- folder
- …
- in a/the file
- on file
- file on
- …
- (Canadian English) a number of issues and responsibilities connected with a particular government policy area
- The politician's handling of flood, infrastructure and education files has been questioned.
- a metal tool with a rough surface for cutting or shaping hard substances or for making them smooth
- Use a file to smooth the edge.
- a line of people or things, one behind the other
- in file They set off in file behind the teacher.
Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 late Middle English (as a verb meaning ‘string documents on a thread or wire to keep them in order’): from French filer ‘to string’, fil ‘a thread’, both from Latin filum ‘a thread’. Compare with file ‘line’. noun sense 5 late 16th cent.: from French file, from filer ‘to string’. noun sense 4 Old English fīl, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vijl and German Feile.
Idioms
See file in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee file in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English(in) single file
(also old-fashioned (in) Indian file)
- (in) one line, one behind the other
- They made their way in single file along the cliff path.
Check pronunciation:
file