French word

faufiler

Pronunciation

IPA/fofile/

Meaning

  • verbcreep into ___

Example

Il s'est faufilé dans la salle.

He crept into the room.

Illustration for faufiler (creep into ___)

More examples

Elle a faufilé un commentaire pendant la réunion.

She slipped in a comment during the meeting.

Core concept

A quiet thread-like body finds a narrow path through people or obstacles without disturbing them.

Common phrases

  • se faufiler dans la file d'attente

    slip into the line

  • se faufiler à l'arrière de la salle

    slip into the back of the room

Similar words

passer: To move through a place.
entrer: To enter a building or room.
pénétrer: To penetrate deep inside and reach the interior.

Definition in French

Faufiler, surtout utilisé comme se faufiler, veut dire se glisser discrètement entre des personnes ou des obstacles pour s'introduire ou se mêler sans bruit.

Word origin

The verb is built on filer, whose history reaches Latin filare, and its thread-related sense extends into discreet movement through obstacles.

Usage tips

  • The movement sense normally uses the reflexive form se faufiler, as in Il s'est faufilé dans la salle, with être in compound tenses.

Other meanings

  • sneak inverb
  • slip into ___verb

Related words

  • faufilageslipping throughnoun
  • faufiléslipped throughadjective

Word lists with this word