file
French, noun
file is spelled F-I-L-E (4 letters) and appears 21 times per million words in written French, the 3,674th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). File is a French feminine noun meaning “a line of objects placed one after the other” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of filer. With an accent, filé is a different word: “simple or twisted textile thread, as used for needlework”. The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Suite ou rangée de choses ou de personnes disposées en long et l’une derrière l’autre”.
What does file mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininea line of objects placed one after the other
- 2
femininetraffic jam
verb
- 1
first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- 2
second-person singular imperative
noun
- 1
masculinesimple or twisted textile thread, as used for needlework
- 2
masculinefine, equivalent precious metal thread, used in luxury production
- 3
masculinedried and ground sassafras leaves used to spice and thicken gumbo
verb
- 1
past participle of filer
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Suite ou rangée de choses ou de personnes disposées en long et l’une derrière l’autre. 2. En particulier File de véhicules routiers. 3. Ligne de soldats disposés les uns derrière les autres. 4. Celui qui vient le premier dans une hiérarchie, qui est à la tête d’une entreprise, etc.
adjective: 1. Qui a perdu une maille.
noun: 1. Fil de textile, recouvert de métal précieux. 2. Feuilles de sassafras écrasées en poudre, utilisé pour épaissir et assaisonner des potages, en particulier le gumbo. Parfois appelé « filé gumbo ».
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of file
- files plural
- filés plural
- filée feminine
- filées feminine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to file
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is file in French?
file appears 21 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).