forgery

noun

forg·​ery ˈfȯr-jə-rē 

ˈfȯrj-rē

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)

Synonyms

• counterfeit
• fake
• hoax
• humbug
• phony
• phoney
• sham

Examples of forgery in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Rickey Juarez, 64, Chicago, was arrested Jan. 18 and accused of forgery after attempting to withdraw $1,000 Jan. 18 from an out-of-state resident’s account at Tech Credit Union, 11051 79th St., with a fake driver’s license, police said. —Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025

Noble also sued the property’s actual owner, claiming that the man’s deed was a forgery. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025

The report blamed an officer who was not present, and the signature was deemed a forgery. Padro, who sprayed Talbot all four times and kicked him once in the torso, was immediately suspended and retired eight days later with an annual pension that paid him $103,490 last year. —Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025

For example, Sentinel is great for analyzing visual manipulation and AI forgery, whereas DeepWare helps analyze video and audio communication. —Essence, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

forge entry 2 + -ery

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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