forgery

noun forg·ery \ ˈfȯrj-rē , ˈfȯr-jə- \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 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

In the real letter’s place, the thieves placed a forgery that was apparently convincing: Neither library staff nor local police noticed a thief had made off with the real letter.

— jared gilmour, miamiherald, "ICE tracks down 500-year-old stolen Columbus letter, sends it back to Spain," 7 June 2018
Investigators eventually learned that White had been arrested as an employee of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office in New Orleans in February 1997 for theft, forgery and malfeasance in office.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Slidell woman who stole ID for 6-figure job gets 10 years in prison," 29 May 2018
Martin Shain pleaded no contest, meanwhile, to forgery, bribery, racketeering and grand theft charges in Marion County Circuit Court.

— ted sickinger, OregonLive.com, "Martin Shain pleads guilty to tax evasion in Oregon tax credit case," 16 May 2018
Orange County prosecutors have filed charges (including for conspiracy, forgery, fraud, and weapons and drug crimes) in 31 cases, authorities said.

— jared gilmour, sacbee, "Christmas murder led to 85 arrests of gang's 'middle management' and 'foot soldiers,' California cops say | The Sacramento Bee," 3 May 2018
He was accused of incitement against the military and forgery.

— Washington Post, "Egypt sends former anti-graft chief to prison for 5 years," 24 Apr. 2018
Cheron Gee, 33, of Dolton, received a one-year conditional discharge last month after pleading guilty to misdemeanor attempted forgery, Cook County state’s attorney spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Ex-Robbins cop pleads guilty in loan fraud case; agrees never to work in law enforcement again," 17 Apr. 2018
Christopher Traicoff, 40, was charged Friday with murder, murder in perpetration of a robbery, robbery, forgery, fraud and failure to report a dead body, Lake County court records show.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Man charged with murder of missing woman found dead in Hobart," 23 Mar. 2018
Her convictions in Cuyahoga County include theft, possessing criminal tools, forgery and drug possession, court records say.

— staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Friday, Feb. 23, 2018," 23 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