come forward
phrasal verb
came forward; come forward; coming forward; comes forward
: to make the effort required to provide information, make a claim, volunteer, etc.
No one has yet come forward to claim the reward.
Essex Police is now appealing for anyone with information or dash cam footage of the crash to come forward and help with their inquiries.—
Alex Gidden
Alex GiddenThe young woman … had come forward after six months to accuse him of assault.—Jules De Cinque
Jules De Cinque
also
: to become publicly known
While the case was dropped the prosecutor says if substantial evidence came forward this case could go to a trial in the future … —Don Granese
Don Granese Examples of come forward in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a result, athletes may be less likely to seek treatment and to come forward with their issues for fear of not wanting to have restrictions on their practice and competition put in place, of being ostracized from their teammates or of losing sponsorship or scholarship opportunities.
—Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Those policies undermine trust, discourage victims and witnesses from coming forward, and make communities less safe.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Aurora also previously had an asbestos and lead paint survey done in 2025, according to a city staff report about the project, and so contracts for work to remove asbestos from the building may come forward for City Council approval later this year.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The cases led investigators to release Garcia-Aquino's picture, urging any potential victims to come forward.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for come forward
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Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
Those policies undermine trust, discourage victims and witnesses from coming forward, and make communities less safe.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
Aurora also previously had an asbestos and lead paint survey done in 2025, according to a city staff report about the project, and so contracts for work to remove asbestos from the building may come forward for City Council approval later this year.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The cases led investigators to release Garcia-Aquino's picture, urging any potential victims to come forward.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for come forward
Cite this Entry
“Come forward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20forward. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
come forward
intransitive verb
come for·ward
: to make a presentation of something to the court
—usually used with with
must come forward with materials to show that there is a genuine issue of fact—J. H. Friedenthal et al.
J. H. Friedenthal et al.coming forward with the evidence
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