Meaning & use
forged document
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablelegal
A paper or file that has been made or altered to look genuine so that people will trust it, usually for dishonest gain.
Grammar: A normal countable noun: one forged document, two forged documents.
Patterns
- submit a forged document
- a forged document bearing someone's signature
The clerk spotted a forged document among the loan papers.
He was arrested for using a forged document to claim the inheritance.
Experts proved the letter was a forged document by testing the ink.
Word forms
| plural | forged documents |
|---|
Common combinations
- produce a forged document
- She produced a forged document to prove she owned the car.
- present a forged document
- He presented a forged document at the border.
- detect a forged document
- Banks train staff to detect a forged document.
- charged with using a forged document
- He was charged with using a forged document.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fake
- Fake is a casual, broad word, while forged document points specifically to deliberate copying of a real style or signature.
- counterfeit
- Counterfeit is used mostly for money and goods, so it sounds odd for a letter or contract.
- fabrication
- A fabrication is any invented thing, not necessarily a paper imitating a genuine one.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: forged document or forged?
forged document vs forged
In metalwork 'forged' means shaped by heat and hammering; context shows the difference from a fake.
Practice
The police found that the signature on the contract was part of a ___.
Choose one answer.
A fake signature points to a forged document. A formal notice or filed report would be genuine papers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “forged document”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.