How to Use single file in a Sentence

single file

noun
  • When it was raised, the boats would come out single file in a parade.
    — Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Apr. 2021
  • The goal is to slow the cars down and prevent them from running single file.
    — Zach Horrall, Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2018
  • Tap Delete to remove that single file.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
  • The wolves usually ran straight away in single file.
    — Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026
  • And the fuzz lined up in single file for what stretched for what seemed like forever.
    — Riley Van Steward, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023
  • The pilgrims proceed single file past the boy, who has been dead now for many years.
    — Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The managers entered, single file, and walked to their places.
    — Lindsay Wise, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2020
  • As soon as the pair's scores were read, their cheering section left in single file.
    — Dave Skretta, chicagotribune.com, 14 Feb. 2018
  • These blood vessels are so narrow that red blood cells have to flow through them single file.
    — Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 23 Apr. 2013
  • Their flashlights swung left to right as around a dozen men walked single file across the hilltop.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
  • At last the cows nearest the top of the mountain turned and went over the ridge, single file.
    — Robert Merchant, Outdoor Life, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The elk walked single file, streams of breath shooting out 2 feet from their nostrils.
    — Jack Atcheson Sr. As Told To Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Tubas still march around the stadium single file in the second half.
    — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2019
  • The narrow width can be a nightmare for soldiers who have to move single file through them.
    — Justin Scheck, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2023
  • Surf’s chat can then query anywhere from a single file to an entire context all at once.
    — David Pierce, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
  • The trees grew single file, straight and flat, and latticed together to form a fence.
    — Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
  • The trees grew single file, straight and flat, and latticed together to form a fence.
    — Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
  • At one stop, schoolchildren in matching neon vests marched single file along the tracks.
    — Kimberley Lovato, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2023
  • Hundreds of people trudged up the steep switchbacks in single file.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
  • Having come to an agreement, the entire group left the street in a single file line with their hands up.
    — Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 6 June 2020
  • Groups of ice anglers should walk single file when going out, and spread out when digging holes in the ice.
    — cleveland.com, 29 Dec. 2017
  • Hays learned the rules — his group would have to stay on the right and go single file – and drilled them into his club members.
    — oregonlive, 11 Oct. 2019
  • Twice a day, seven days a week, the famous fowl waddle single file through the lobby.
    — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2025
  • The migrants walk in single file, spaced a foot apart, patiently waiting for their turn.
    — Tori Richards, Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2021
  • Lined up single file, they were told to place one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them, and remain silent.
    — James E. Causey, jsonline.com, 25 Apr. 2022
  • All guests must enter through the main admission gates at the front of the zoo and expect to line up single file.
    — Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 4 June 2020
  • Rory led us in a single file line up the steep hill of Highland Avenue.
    — The Enquirer, 22 Aug. 2022
  • The sound of stun grenades echoed through downtown as officers marched in a single file line at least 12 across.
    — Josh Peter, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2020
  • Soon Coach Conradt came in with the team parading single file after her.
    — Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Dec. 2024
  • To reach it required walking single file through pitch darkness and walking down long flights of stairs carved into the earth.
    — Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'single file.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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