forge

¹ American  

[fawrj, fohrj] / fɔrdʒ, foʊrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

forged, forging

1. 

   to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape.

2. to form or make, especially by concentrated effort.

   to forge a friendship through mutual trust.

   Synonyms:

   pirate, falsify, fake, counterfeit, build, create, mold, found, cast

3. to imitate (handwriting, a signature, etc.) fraudulently; fabricate a forgery.

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verb (used without object)

forged, forging

1. to commit forgery.

2. to work at a forge.

3. (of a horse at a trot) to strike the forefeet with the shoes of the hind feet.

noun

• forges
  plural

1. a special fireplace, hearth, or furnace in which metal is heated before shaping.

2. the workshop of a blacksmith; smithy.

forge ² American  

[fawrj, fohrj] / fɔrdʒ, foʊrdʒ /

verb (used without object)

forged, forging

1. to move ahead slowly; progress steadily.

   to forge through dense underbrush.

2. to move ahead with increased speed and effectiveness (usually followed byahead ).

   to forge ahead and finish the work in a burst of energy.

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forge ¹ British  

/ fɔːdʒ /

noun

1. a place in which metal is worked by heating and hammering; smithy

2. a hearth or furnace used for heating metal

3. a machine used to shape metals by hammering

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verb

1. (tr) to shape (metal) by heating and hammering

2. (tr) to form, shape, make, or fashion (objects, articles, etc)

3. (tr) to invent or devise (an agreement, understanding, etc)

4. to make or produce a fraudulent imitation of (a signature, banknote, etc) or to commit forgery

forge ² British  

/ fɔːdʒ /

verb

1. to move at a steady and persevering pace

2. to increase speed; spurt

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forger
  noun
• forgeable
  adjective
• reforgeable
  adjective
• unforgeable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forges
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of forge¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English forgen, fourgen, from Old French forgier, forger, from Latin fabricāre “to fabricate”; see fabric

Origin of forge²

First recorded in 1605–15; origin uncertain

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Explanation

Have you ever seen a blacksmith make a horseshoe? Well, no, probably not, but they use a special furnace which is called a forge, and "to forge something" is also the act of bashing that hot object into shape. Forge has also taken on the more general sense of creating something. A new philosophy or art form might have been forged, as might an alibi or an excuse. To forge something also has the meaning of faking something, such as a painting or a signature with the intent to deceive. It can also mean to move ahead in a steady manner, either physically or metaphorically, much like those solid, regular blows of the blacksmith's hammer.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forge forges forged forging

Other global leaders have similarly looked to forge more reliable friendships elsewhere, and the reason for their concerns was on display at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress aims to forge a "shared" national identity among ethnic groups.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Indonesia's national police chief visited the school and met Muchtar in August last year, saying he wanted to forge closer ties with Shiddiqiyyah.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union’s top official, said she would work to tighten its partnership with Ottawa, a major shift as traditional U.S. allies forge closer ties with each other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But he was often talked at, while they were in progress, by reason of Mrs. Joe’s perceiving that he was not favourable to my being taken from the forge.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

To do it, Hansen forges forward with all the ardent conviction of an American soldier, clinging to the belief that his definition of good is the greater good, too.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

But Winocour finds calm hidden beneath the unrest, a moment to pause and breathe, just to feel alive as life forges on without our consent.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

Instead, the story of a lone knight and his young companion forges a new tonal path in the “Game of Thrones” universe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

What follows focuses on Martin and Lora’s daughter Josie, who forges a successful life—she goes to Harvard and starts a family—but can never vanquish her longing for her father’s return.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

He was come to the heart of the realm of Sauron and the forges of his ancient might, greatest in Middle-earth; all other powers were here subdued.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Instead, OpenAI forged deals with the firms separately, and Katti struck additional computing agreements with providers such as Amazon Web Services to shore up OpenAI’s capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Glyn’s older sister, Lady Duff-Gordon, otherwise known as the couturier Lucile, immediately forged relationships with actresses—Billie Burke, for instance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Besides his unconventional path to becoming a Green Lantern, Stewart is in possession of a unique lantern for recharging his ring that was forged by Sinestro, Jordan’s disgraced mentor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

After he said "no one cares" about the discipline in May this year, Kotsoni says she "thinks it's interesting" that it's now being forged as a clear trend for next year.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Amid much rejoicing, the crews of the three small boats raised sail and forged ahead, spray breaking over their bows and freezing on the men and all the contents of the boats.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Jacob Tremblay embodies a young Kaczynski almost exactly as I have imagined him, minus the smiling and the forging of his mother’s signature.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Yet a Fed rate hike, or a few hikes, won’t likely stop the “hyperscalers” of the AI race from forging ahead.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

As the court case proceeds, Contango is forging ahead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

He then followed his father to Manchester City in 2008 and worked with him again at Fulham before forging his own path abroad.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

“Marines have lost more than ears in their long history. But still they come, always attacking, always forging ahead, driving forward without regard to life or limb.”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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Related Words

• build
• construct
• create
• devise
• form
• hammer out
• shape

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