1 B2 neutral
To place documents or papers into an organized filing system for future reference.
"She spent the afternoon filing away the contracts from last quarter."
separable
file away
B2 neutral separable transitive
To store documents or information in an organized system, or to mentally store a piece of information for later use.
In plain English
To put something away neatly so you can find it again later.
What does "file away" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To mentally store a piece of information or observation for possible future use.
"He filed away the comment about her dislike of surprises, intending to remember it later."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To place papers into a file and put it away in storage.
Actually means
To put something away neatly so you can find it again later.
Usage tip
Used both literally (filing physical documents) and figuratively (mentally noting something). The figurative use is common in expressions like 'I filed that away for later'.
Words that pair with "file away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
documents papers records information notes correspondence
How to conjugate "file away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
file away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
files away
he/she/it
Past simple
filed away
yesterday
Past participle
filed away
have + pp
-ing form
filing away
continuous
Hear "file away" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "file away" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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