To utter is to place into circulation, to display or to otherwise use a document while claiming that it is legitimate. In the context of the law, it is a crime to utter a forged document. Forged documents that are commonly uttered include checks and other financial instruments. Those found guilty of uttering forged documents can face punitive consequences.
The uttering of forged documents can be a very serious problem for law enforcement and for financial institutions. For example, if a man successfully utters a forged check for $1 million, the bank could then be out by $1 million. (That is, if the check is passed as legitimate and the money is sent out of the bank.) If the forged check is a high-quality fake, then it can be a complicated matter for law enforcement to track down the perpetrator. For these reasons, uttering forged documents is considered a serious offense.