forgery

noun forg·ery \ ˈfȯrj-rē , ˈfȯr-jə- \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of forgery

plural forgeries

1 archaic : invention

2 : something forged

3 : an act of forging; especially : the crime of falsely and fraudulently making or altering a document (such as a check)

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Examples of forgery in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of forgery from the Web

Despite a trade plagued by forgeries and amateur digs that destroy excavation sites, paleontology in China is thriving—and so are its dinosaur museums.

— ginny mohler, Smithsonian, "Ten Chinese Museums Where You Can See a Dinosaur Fossil Up Close," 18 Apr. 2018
She was initially charged with felony forgery and felony loan fraud, which carry sentences of up to five and seven years, respectively.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Ex-Robbins cop pleads guilty in loan fraud case; agrees never to work in law enforcement again," 17 Apr. 2018
To combat this, Andreas Rossler at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, working with other academics, has developed a system for detecting forgeries.

— brooke crothers, Fox News, "Tech battles creepy revenge porn," 16 Apr. 2018
Stewart was arrested March 28 and booked with obtaining controlled dangerous substance by fraud/forgery and conspiracy to obtain controlled dangerous substance by fraud.

— littice bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "Former medical assistant, 7 others jailed in connection with prescription fraud," 13 Apr. 2018
Kentucky woman charged with identity fraud in Blue Ash Patricia Shay, 39, of Morning View was charged on March 22 with identify fraud, tampering with records, forgery after falsifying patient records.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Crime notebook: 18-year-old pulled over with 120 lbs of meth hidden in truck tires, police say," 27 Mar. 2018
Fernandez is charged with forgery, theft by deception, uttering a forged document and theft, NorthJersey.com wrote, while Persaud is also charged with theft by deception and uttering a forged document.

— josh magness, miamiherald, "This EMT cashed in after stealing from a woman inside an ambulance, NJ cops say | Miami Herald," 23 Mar. 2018
Roberts was previously charged with impersonating a peace officer and forgery back in early 2017.

— christopher harress, AL.com, "Alabama man pleads guilty to impersonating a constable," 20 Mar. 2018
The resident has since frozen her accounts, completed a fraud and forgery affidavit, and has been promised her money back from the bank.

— bob dohr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Oak Creek middle school student cited for making comment related to recent threat," 28 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forgery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of forgery

²forge + -ery

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1583

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

forgery Synonyms

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

FORGERY Defined for English Language Learners

forgery

noun

Definition of forgery for English Language Learners

: the crime of falsely making or copying a document in order to deceive people
: something that is falsely made or copied in order to deceive people : something that is forged