single file
Americannoun
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Etymology
Origin of single file
First recorded in 1660–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the race began at 4, two hours before sunrise, we scurried off into the woods in tight single file.
When he finally looked up, he saw players lined up in a single file offering hugs and telling him, “We’re going to win this battle together.”
From Los Angeles Times
Later, looking over from a nearby hill, we could see the rebels in military fatigues walking in single file and stopping the people on the Congolese side from making the crossing.
From BBC
Their flashlights swung left to right as around a dozen men walked single file across the hilltop.
From Los Angeles Times
Drone footage from the weekend showed long lines of men and boys standing or walking in single file.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
