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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forges
  plural

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

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

To forge better social connections, weigh whether shyness, cynicism or snap judgments of others hold you back.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

He has spent much of his time in office jet-setting across the globe to drum up new investment and forge new trade and security partnerships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Kuzichkin and Mr. McCredie followed similar paths on opposite sides of the ideological divide, only to forge a partnership that, the author argues, could have altered the course of history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Dambrauskas using his modest winnings to move to London and forge a career in football.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

We have to meander like a Mars rover to forge our way through the woods, weaving a slow and unpredictable path.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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

He’s a student of life as much as he is filmmaking, a humanist who forges connections with spectacular sights of the things that frighten and fascinate us the most.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

Her words accrue and gain power through their spareness and clarity, and a level of character development that forges an easy intimacy with the reader.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 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 21, 2026

In the forges, a deep voice bellowed something I couldn’t make out.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

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

They forged a friendship in 1853, the couple encouraging and advising Brahms at every turn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

But while turnstiles spun — on Thursday, the club announced a record of 4,034,219 fans showed up this season to witness Ohtani’s greatness — everyone forged foolishly forward.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka is under investigation by Swiss prosecutors over allegations he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

But Hazel forged ahead, so he didn’t have much choice except to follow.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

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

He makes his living forging wrought iron items like garden gates and fences, railings, stairs, and fireplace tools.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

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