forge

1 of 3

noun

1
: a furnace or a shop with its furnace where metal is heated and wrought : smithy
2
: a workshop where wrought iron is produced or where iron is made malleable

forge

2 of 3

verb (1)

forged; forging

transitive verb

1
a
: to form (something, such as metal) by heating and hammering
forged pieces of iron into hooks
b
: to form (metal) by a mechanical or hydraulic press with or without heat
2
: to make or imitate falsely especially with intent to defraud : counterfeit
forge a document
forge a signature
3
: to form or bring into being especially by an expenditure of effort
working to forge party unity
The two countries forged a strong alliance.

intransitive verb

1
: to work at a forge
2
: to commit forgery (see forgery sense 3)
forgeability noun
forgeable adjective

forge

3 of 3

verb (2)

forged; forging

intransitive verb

1
: to move forward slowly and steadily
the ship forged ahead through heavy seas
2
: to move with a sudden increase of speed and power
forged into the lead
forged ahead in marketing the product

Did you know?

Are "forging ahead" and "forging a check" from the same forge?

There are many things you can do with the word forge in English. You can forge ahead (which, confusingly enough, can mean either "move slowly and steadily" or "move with a sudden increase of speed"), you can forge a check or a painting (make something fake), or you can forge a sword (make something real). The senses that relate to creating something (either real or fake) come from the same Latin word that gives us fabric, which is fabricare ("to fashion, construct"). We are not certain where the “movement” senses of forge come from, except insofar as we know that they are from a different origin than the “creation” senses of the word.

Examples of forge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The howitzer owes its reliability to another factor: Every single 17-foot-long tube is produced by a single forge at Watervliet Arsenal. Hope Hodge Seck, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2023 After that point, European immigrants dominated the workforce at the forge, and for more than a century, these European workers received credit for creating the high-quality wares that had been crafted by enslaved African Americans. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Aug. 2023 Emory, who lives about a half-hour from the forge, was able to trace her ancestry to Robert Patterson, a free African American with ties to Catoctin who worked as a collier, producing the charcoal used to run furnaces, and who also owned a farm. Usha Lee McFarling, STAT, 3 Aug. 2023 For the last stop of the outing, Charles chatted with a blacksmith at a forge, as beacons glowed in honor of his historic coronation. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2023 The general store became one of the resort’s 15 frontier-luxe guest cabins, with a private hot-spring pool; the forge became another. Adam Erace, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2023 The graveyard is located on an iron forge known as Catoctin Furnace, which began operating in the 1770s. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Aug. 2023 The two forge a bond after a disastrous date, and something like a friendship blossoms. Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 3 Aug. 2023 The forge reached 2,300 to 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Beth Mlady, cleveland, 21 July 2023
Verb
In an era of empire-hungry monarchs and religious violence, these women, while fulfilling their obligations as wives and mothers, forged diplomatic connections through family ties. Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 Moving forward, Morris is forging an instinctual path, not an institutional one. Hannah Summerhill, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2023 But as the six-hour session wore on Wednesday, there was little apparent consensus about what a congressional framework should look like to govern AI, as companies forge ahead amid a tense industry arms race. David Dimolfetta, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023 Since 2021, the US and some European countries have forged Just Energy Transition Partnerships with several emerging economies including South Africa, Vietnam, and Senegal, intended to stimulate investment in renewables while ensuring good jobs. Caitlin Harrington, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023 Without the allure of European friendship, Beijing would have little to lose by supplying Moscow with weapons or forging a formal geopolitical alliance with its northern neighbor. Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2023 That need would eventually forge into an internal compass. Kevin McDonnell, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2023 And once again, Vietnam, a country that within a quarter-century repelled three invaders — France, the United States and China — is hoping to stay clear of a superpower showdown and forge its own path. Hannah Beech, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023 But so far, the strain has yet to forge a clear path toward dominance, either locally or globally. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Verb
Sean Manaea poured a 94 mph fastball in for a strike to his catcher, Blake Sabol, and forged a bit of history. Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2023 The Vichy police caught Spira forging documents and deported him to Poland, and he was imprisoned at Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Theresienstadt. Town & Country, 8 Apr. 2023 It might be pinged by someone or something strongly, forging an instantaneous connection. Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2023 The knife begins with a process known as Hizukui Tanzou, which heats up the metal and forges the knife into its general shape. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 4 Apr. 2023 JCPenney made it out with 55,000 employees and is forging a new future. Maria Halkias, Dallas News, 3 Apr. 2023 If there were questions about the wisdom of investing in college football at the time, forging ahead proved a boon on several fronts, Wicker said. Billy Witz, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2023 The announcement of his new campaign committee garnered the national attention Newsom craves, and the governor’s travels will surely elevate his profile further, bulk up his political treasury and forge a countrywide network of connections. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2023 Further investigation found that at least 25 people associated with Pir’s big game hunting outfitter company presented forged documents to import at least 97 hunting trophies into the U.S. between 2013 and 2018, the Justice Department said. Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "smith's workshop," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Gallo-Romance *faurga, going back to Latin fabrica "process of making something, craft, workshop" — more at fabric

Verb (1)

Middle English forgen "to form, shape (metal by heat), invent, contrive, counterfeit," borrowed from Anglo-French forger, forgier, going back to Latin fabricāre, fabricārī "to fashion, shape, construct" — more at fabricate

Verb (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Verb (2)

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of forge was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near forge

Cite this Entry

“Forge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forge. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

forge

1 of 3 noun
ˈfō(ə)rj How to pronounce forge (audio)
ˈfȯ(ə)rj
: a furnace or a shop with its furnace where metal is shaped and worked by heating and hammering

forge

2 of 3 verb
forged; forging
1
a
: to form (as metal) by heating and hammering
b
: to form (metal) by a press
2
: to make or imitate falsely especially with intent to deceive : counterfeit
forge a check
forge a signature
3
: to form or shape in any way : fashion
forged an agreement
forger noun

forge

3 of 3 verb
forged; forging
: to move forward steadily but gradually
forged through the snow
Etymology

Noun

Middle English forge "workshop where metal is heated and shaped," from early French forge (same meaning), from Latin fabrica "workshop for making things of metal"

Verb

origin unknown

Medical Definition

forge

intransitive verb
forged; forging
of a horse
: to make a clicking noise by overreaching so that a hind shoe hits a fore shoe

Legal Definition

forge

verb
forged; forging

transitive verb

: to make, alter, or imitate (as a writing) falsely with intent to defraud : counterfeit

intransitive verb

: to commit forgery
forger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on forge

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