file in
B2 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To walk into a room one by one in a neat line.
Literal meaning: To enter in a 'file' (a line of people one behind the other).
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To enter a room or space in a line, one person following another.
"The students filed in quietly and took their seats before the exam began."
""The jurors filed in and took their places in the jury box.""
— Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Used to describe orderly, sequential movement into a space, often of a group. Common in descriptions of ceremonies, classrooms, courtrooms, and military contexts.
Commonly used with
students soldiers mourners jurors audience workers
Forms
Base
file in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
files in
he/she/it
Past simple
filed in
yesterday
Past participle
filed in
have + pp
-ing form
filing in
continuous
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