forgery

noun

forg·​ery ˈfȯr-jə-rē 

ˈfȯrj-rē

plural forgeries

1

: something forged

2

: an act of forging

especially : the crime of falsely and fraudulently making or altering a document (such as a check)

3

archaic : invention

Synonyms of forgery

• hoax
• counterfeit

Examples of forgery in a Sentence

that is a cheap forgery, not an authentic Ming Dynasty vase

Recent Examples on the Web

Blanchard was originally also charged in 2023 with embezzlement and forgery, but those charges were dropped as part of her plea deal, according to court records. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026

Harumi Michael, 60, of Wolverine Lake, was charged with two counts of election law forgery, one count of unqualified elector attempting to vote and one count of voter registration – false statement. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

The other extends similar protections to owners who already possess an ALTA policy who want to add forgery coverage after the fact. — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026

For example, one of the IDs appeared to be a forgery generated by an AI image generator. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

forge entry 2 + -ery

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

forgery

noun

forg·​ery ˈfōrj-(ə-)rē 

ˈfȯrj-

plural forgeries

1

: something (as a signature) that has been forged

2

: the crime of falsely making or changing a written paper or signing someone else's name

Legal Definition

forgery

noun

forg·​ery

plural forgeries

1

: the act of falsely making, altering, or imitating (as a document or signature) with intent to defraud

also : the crime of committing such an act

2

: something that is forged