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
Since his killing, family and friends have urged anyone with information about what happened to come forward.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2025
Following her initial arrest, more students later came forward to report that Fortinberry also abused them, Marion School District of Martinsville Police Chief Chris Wright told USA TODAY on Thursday.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Drake Bell has received support from folks who wrote letters on behalf of Brian Peck in the wake of coming forward with allegations of abuse against his former manager and dialogue coach.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Local media outlets from Nepal to Colombia have reported that representatives of the Chinese government have already come forward with offers to expand its assistance in areas from agriculture and disaster relief to health care and poverty alleviation.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come forward
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Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2025
Following her initial arrest, more students later came forward to report that Fortinberry also abused them, Marion School District of Martinsville Police Chief Chris Wright told USA TODAY on Thursday.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Drake Bell has received support from folks who wrote letters on behalf of Brian Peck in the wake of coming forward with allegations of abuse against his former manager and dialogue coach.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Local media outlets from Nepal to Colombia have reported that representatives of the Chinese government have already come forward with offers to expand its assistance in areas from agriculture and disaster relief to health care and poverty alleviation.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 16 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 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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