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noun Common

filing

FEYE-lihng

Filing (noun) means a tiny shaving or particle scraped off by a file or similar tool. Example: “Metal filings scattered across the workbench as he smoothed the edge.”

noun
1
A tiny shaving or particle scraped off by a file or similar tool.
"Metal filings scattered across the workbench as he smoothed the edge."
2
The act of submitting or archiving an official document.
"The filing of the lawsuit made headlines the next morning."
"Late filing of the tax return led to a penalty."

How to Use Filing

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the tiny scraps left over from filing metal, or the act of formally submitting/storing a document.

Common pairings
tax filing court filing metal filings

Word Forms

filings plural

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Metal _____ scattered across the workbench as he smoothed the edge.

Related Words

Rhymes for filing

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does “filing” mean?

The word “filing” means a tiny shaving or particle scraped off by a file or similar tool. In plain terms, either the tiny scraps left over from filing metal, or the act of formally submitting/storing a document.

How do you pronounce “filing”?

“Filing” is pronounced FEYE-lihng (/ˈfaɪ.lɪŋ/ in IPA).

How do you use “filing” in a sentence?

Here is “filing” used in a sentence: “Metal filings scattered across the workbench as he smoothed the edge.”

What part of speech is “filing”?

“Filing” is a noun.

Is “filing” a common word?

“Filing” is a fairly common word in modern English.

How many meanings does “filing” have?

“Filing” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a tiny shaving or particle scraped off by a file or similar tool.

What is a filing in legal or official contexts?

A filing is the act of formally submitting a document to a court, regulator, or other authority, and by extension the submitted document itself, as in "a court filing" or "an annual filing." Once made, a filing usually becomes part of the official record.

What are iron filings?

Iron filings are the tiny particles scraped off iron by a file or similar tool. They are familiar from school science lessons, where they are sprinkled around a magnet to reveal the shape of its magnetic field.

Is the correct spelling filing or fileing?

The correct spelling is filing: the silent e of "file" is dropped before the -ing ending, following the normal English spelling rule. Note also that filling, with a double l, is a different word — the one used for teeth and pies.

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