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
A couple other people came forward and said Duke had been leaving surprises in their yards too.
—Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The veteran broadcaster alleged the NBC executives had been on the hunt for clips that featured Trump speaking in a disparaging manner about women after a former pageant queen came forward and said the then-presidential candidate had been inappropriate with her.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 10 July 2025
These brave women appear to have no motive other than to do the right thing by coming forward.
—Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 9 July 2025
After Doe came forward and police investigated his claims, three other victims who were abused before 2009 were discovered, according to the lawsuit.
—Richard Winton
follow, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for come forward
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Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The veteran broadcaster alleged the NBC executives had been on the hunt for clips that featured Trump speaking in a disparaging manner about women after a former pageant queen came forward and said the then-presidential candidate had been inappropriate with her.
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 10 July 2025
These brave women appear to have no motive other than to do the right thing by coming forward.
—Megan Schrader, Denver Post, 9 July 2025
After Doe came forward and police investigated his claims, three other victims who were abused before 2009 were discovered, according to the lawsuit.
—Richard Winton
follow, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
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 20 Jul. 2025.
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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