forge
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape.
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to form or make, especially by concentrated effort.
to forge a friendship through mutual trust.
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to imitate (handwriting, a signature, etc.) fraudulently; fabricate a forgery.
verb (used without object)
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to commit forgery.
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to work at a forge.
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(of a horse at a trot) to strike the forefeet with the shoes of the hind feet.
noun
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a special fireplace, hearth, or furnace in which metal is heated before shaping.
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the workshop of a blacksmith; smithy.
verb (used without object)
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to move ahead slowly; progress steadily.
to forge through dense underbrush.
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to move ahead with increased speed and effectiveness (usually followed byahead ).
to forge ahead and finish the work in a burst of energy.
noun
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a place in which metal is worked by heating and hammering; smithy
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a hearth or furnace used for heating metal
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a machine used to shape metals by hammering
verb
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(tr) to shape (metal) by heating and hammering
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(tr) to form, shape, make, or fashion (objects, articles, etc)
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(tr) to invent or devise (an agreement, understanding, etc)
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to make or produce a fraudulent imitation of (a signature, banknote, etc) or to commit forgery
verb
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to move at a steady and persevering pace
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to increase speed; spurt
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing forge
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The challenge now is intent: move with urgency and forge partnerships to enable the coordination this moment demands to deliver better outcomes for the communities U.S. grid operators serve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Lacker said Warsh could forge a “center hawk” coalition to do that.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
But the experience helped forge her career path and she said had given her a "superpower" that not every medic was able to tap in to.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
When Mao Zedong visited Moscow in 1950 to forge the Sino-Soviet alliance, Soviet propaganda posters depicted Stalin as slightly taller than Mao—a carefully calibrated signal of who was the elder brother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Before he answered, he laid his hammer down on the anvil, turned, and started stirring up the fire in the forge.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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
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
As family secrets—some thankfully forgotten by Marjorie—are revealed, such as the death of Tess’s troubled brother, Damian, and Marjorie’s condition deteriorates, Mr. Harrison forges ahead with striking variations on the central notion of the play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
She forges forward on her quest into the unknown, desperate to understand her new reality.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
Unlike the other forges, this one is utterly silent.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
For decades, their families could look back at their sacrifices in sorrow but also in pride at how their lives had forged a true American democracy.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The idea of holding individuals responsible for such violations was forged in that process and became the basis of international criminal law.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The presidency claimed police forensic analysis had confirmed that the signature from the president's chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, on the disputed appointment letter had been forged.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Many of the chemical elements found throughout the universe are forged during extreme cosmic events, including supernova explosions and neutron star mergers.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
With her fists curled at her sides, Millie turns to my mom and says, “I forged my mother’s signature.”
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
He received a hero’s welcome in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv after forging a tenuous Gaza ceasefire last October, visibly moved as he was drowned out by appreciative shouts of “Thank you, Witkoff!”
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
The millionaire lawyer will take office on August 7 and has pledged to crack down on armed groups, partly by forging military partnerships with the United States and Israel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The U.S. had cycled through both homegrown and foreign managers without ever truly forging a distinct identity for how they played the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
At the same time, Morocco was steadily reshaping its approach - forging close ties with dual-national players long before senior call-ups became a reality.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Vincent is still learning, but already he is forging new paths for himself and those who will follow, though he doesn’t know it yet.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
