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

The Broad and L.A. artist Lauren Halsey forge partnership to offer South L.A. students free art field trips, community workshops and museum tours.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Others expect him to forge ahead instead with diplomatic efforts, which have already "brought great stability", Allen said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Chin’s conversations with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, surfer Kelly Slater, conflict photographer Lynsey Addario, climber Alex Honnold and others explore what it takes to forge a distinct path.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

"I wasn't prepared to give up on music so wanted to find a way of doing things differently so I could forge a career for myself."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Like all dwarfs, they built things, wonderful, remarkable things, in their workshop and their forge.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

One of the world's rarest bats could be at risk if ExxonMobil forges ahead with a Papua New Guinea gas project, a law firm working with impacted landowners warned Monday.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

From that disharmony, “Everest: The Other Side” forges a uniquely human story of actualization at all costs, revealing the true price of a life spent looking up and not around.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

Goode’s third, “Monsters of God,” premiering Thursday on HBO, is both a direct descendant and forges a new path.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The US space agency's Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon, as China forges ahead with a rival effort that's targeting 2030 for its first crewed mission.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

She had seen forges, ironworks, manufactories in her own world; the biggest seemed like a village smithy beside this.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Rather than adopting the appearance of British or white American goths, Latinas playing with goth aesthetics forged an identity rooted directly in their own homes and neighborhoods, crafting a subculture all their own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

During more than a decade of Britain’s tinkering and planning, China built the world’s highest bridge and Canada forged a river crossing to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

"My outlook and my view of the world were not forged in Davos or Washington, but in places whose desolation I'm not sure you can even begin to fathom," he has said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

I went to school not far from the River Clyde, where the city's shipbuilding heritage was forged, and knew Glasgow had once been an industrial powerhouse.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The close-fitting armor is forged by the Teluman smithy—one of the oldest in the Empire—and is strong enough to turn away all but the finest blades.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

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

The move would cap a career built on a knack for dealmaking and forging relationships that has benefited the firm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Rooted in authenticity, service and philanthropy, they’re honoring Appalachian culture by forging iron and blowing glass in their Craftsman’s Valley, while inviting you in to do the same.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 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

Some of the most interesting of the recent work is concerned with still other ways of forging weapons from the insect’s own life processes.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

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

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