Skip to main content
file clerk

file clerk

7 3.2
A person who organizes and keeps office papers and records
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : archivista
  • John Optimist, a student, found part-time employment at City Hospital as a file clerk.
  • work as a file clerk
  • file clerk job
  • just a file clerk

Examples

  • Our next guest tonight works as a file clerk at a Cleveland hospital.

  • I'm a file clerk at Harrison Feed and Grain.

  • Anna, the humorless file clerk, is showing Erin around.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • I'm a file clerk.

  • She has a job as a file clerk at a busy law firm, organizing legal documents.

  • As a file clerk, he is responsible for maintaining accurate records and filing paperwork.

  • Maria works as a file clerk, where she sorts and files important documents for the office.

Synonyms

secretary
vsfile clerk
496 1.3

A person who helps with office work like answering calls and doing paperwork

is more specialized in document organization rather than broad assistant duties
clerk
vsfile clerk
273 2.5

A person who keeps records and does office tasks

is narrower, mainly handling document organization rather than varied office tasks
archivist
vsfile clerk
14 6.9

A person who collects, organizes, and keeps old records so people can use them

focuses on routine current documents rather than historical preservation
recorder
vsfile clerk
4 3.3

A person who writes and keeps the official papers for a group

is more about sorting and storing everyday documents than formal accounting
paper-pusher
vsfile clerk
  • Offensive
4 6.5

An office worker who spends most of their time doing forms and paperwork

does similar document handling but with formal responsibility and procedure
town clerk
vsfile clerk
  • Formal
2 3.1

An official who keeps the town's records and papers

is an ordinary administrative role for document organization, not a civic official
filing clerk
vsfile clerk
1 2.7

A person who organizes and keeps documents for an office

is the general term for that specific office role
record-keeper
vsfile clerk
1 3.8

A person who writes and saves important official information in files

is more focused on everyday document organization rather than long term custody
filer
vsfile clerk
1 5.1

A person who puts office papers in order and keeps them safe

focuses on organizing physical documents rather than broader record duties
recordist
vsfile clerk
  • Formal
6.2

A person who keeps and updates an organization's official documents

carries out routine document organization rather than formal register keeping

How Senior

file clerk
  • US
7 3.2

Surface Forms

file clerk singular
file clerks plural

Morphology

file + clerk

The meaning — an employee who organizes and maintains files — is directly and transparently derived from combining 'file' (a collection of documents) with 'clerk' (an employee who maintains records). This noun-noun compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The name file clerk comes from the simple image of a worker who handles files and keeps records. A clerk was a person who looked after papers, so imagine someone at a cabinet sorting folders — that's why file clerk means 'an employee who organizes and keeps documents'.