ENGLISH
REFERENCE

filed

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈfaɪɫd// UK //fˈaɪld// filed

v. to put a document or information into a specific place so you can find it later. You also use this when you officially send a document to a court or office.

v. to record or store information in a systematic way for future reference; to submit a legal document to a public record or authority. Transitive in most contexts, though it can be used intransitively when describing the movement of a line of people.


SIMPLE

She filed the papers in the cabinet.

CONTEXTUAL

The lawyer filed the lawsuit at the courthouse just before the deadline.

COMPLEX

After the meeting concluded, the administrative staff filed the digital transcripts into the secure database to ensure compliance with the new privacy regulations.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive when referring to documents, but intransitive when describing people walking in a line ('they filed out').

Pitfall

he filed the report to the drawerhe filed the report in the drawerWhen referring to physical storage, use the preposition 'in'; use 'with' or 'at' when submitting to an authority.

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