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

On Friday, Tench was arrested on 99 felony charges, which include 33 counts of bid-rigging, 33 of first-degree forgery and 33 of filing false documents. — Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 30 July 2026

Angela Diaz pleaded guilty in October 2017 to charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, forgery, perjury, grand theft and falsely reporting crimes. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026

Green has a history of arrests on suspicion of forgery, assault, theft and fraud, according to criminal court records dating back to 1998 obtained by the Houston Chronicle. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Reports of guns, faked voter registration documents, gift card payments for forgeries. — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 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