Meanings
- USespeciallyuncommonSingle file.
He stopped abruptly, as if sorry he had said so much, and a moment later the party were walking in Indian file through the turnstile, Sir John Burney leading the way.
1913, Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger1 more example
In about an hour they returned very much intoxicated, singing their dead war songs, and every warrior naked, painted black from head to foot: as they approached the house in Indian file, each one repeated the following words […]
1791, Voyages And Travels Of An Indian Interpreter And Trader, page 69
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Attested since the 18th century, as Native Americans traversed woods in this way.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Indian file. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Indian%20file
“Indian file.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Indian%20file. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Indian file,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Indian%20file.
Source: Indian file on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.