filed

Filed is the past tense and past participle of the verb file. The word is used to describe the act of organizing documents and records or submitting papers to an authority. In office and legal contexts, to file documents means to place them in an official queue or archive, or to submit them to a court, agency, or mail system. Common phrases include file a report, file a lawsuit, file for bankruptcy or for divorce, and file taxes.

The term also appears in recordkeeping and administrative contexts. In legal proceedings, a document that has been officially submitted is said to be filed; the filing date is typically recorded and can affect deadlines and the progression of a case. Documents that are not filed are not part of the official record.

A separate sense of the verb file describes shaping or smoothing material with a metal tool. When metal, wood, or other material has been filed, it has had its edges or surfaces smoothed; past-tense descriptions include “the edges were filed smooth.”

In computing and digital contexts, to file a document means to store it in a file or directory, or to submit it for processing electronically. Documents that are filed are typically organized within a filing system and retrievable by reference.

See also: file (disambiguation).