single file

noun

: a row of persons, animals, or things arranged one behind the other

single file adverb

Examples of single file in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ranchers work out together and suffer together, cold-plunging in a single file and schvitzing in a windowed sauna. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Badio, 63, a former official in Haiti’s Justice Ministry and anti-corruption unit, was wheeled into the courtroom in a wheelchair, while the other defendants were escorted in single file, their hands and feet shackled. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

And a line of four National Guard members in full uniform, each armed with a handgun, walked single file through the scene. — Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026

Male chimpanzees silently invade neighboring territories in a single file line. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for single file

• campanile
• chamomile
• domicil
• domicile
• mercantile
• neuropil
• percentile
• peristyle
• reconcile
• thermopile
• aisle
• bile

Kids Definition

single file

noun

: a line of persons or things arranged one behind another

single file adverb