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:
Here, like “two gears adjusted into the right alignment,” they forge a connection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Lacker said Warsh could forge a “center hawk” coalition to do that.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
In his message, the King said the US and UK had overcome conflict to forge "one of the closest and most productive alliances the world has seen".
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Gyatso said Rangzen had railed against China's new "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" that Beijing said aims to forge a "shared" national identity among ethnic groups.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
You won’t find half so much fault in me if you think of me in my forge dress, with my hammer in my hand, or even my pipe.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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
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
The US space agency now hopes to put humans back on the Moon as China forges ahead with its own effort, which is targeting 2030 at the latest for a first crewed mission.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
Mr. Abraham forges a solid path between an initial tender-if-cocky attitude and increasing anxiety and frustration at Jackie’s rapacious spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
Being immune to fire, he’d stood in smoky bonfires, endured dragon breath, and cleaned out blazing forges plenty of times.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
This chaotic night, however, belonged to Joshua in a victory forged through adversity during the most difficult months of his life.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
What forged McElwee’s passion and helped him establish his life’s work now reveals its dual nature as the wedge that kept him and Adrian apart.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 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
She finds what she is looking for—iridescent gray labradorite drops given to me by Taryn for my sixteenth birthday, forged by a goblin tinker with whom she traded three kisses.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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
Norway, Chile and Australia and that the company is forging ahead with plants and assembly partners in Europe and the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Wimbledon, and a mutual love of tennis player Boris Becker, also brought together Jacqueline Webb-Watson and Nicola Dawson, forging a 40-year friendship.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The wolf was still growing, and the gods were in the smithies, forging a new set of chains.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
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.
