come forward

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

The young woman … had come forward after six months to accuse him of assault.

—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

Examples of come forward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Things reportedly changed for the hairstylist in 2017 when other women came forward with allegations against Weinstein as part of the #MeToo movement. —Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026

In a press conference one day after the interview aired, Drewes came forward and tearfully accused Swalwell of spiking her drink at a hotel in 2018 before taking her up to his room. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026

Cops recovered footage of three of the shooters opening fire on their rivals and released the images Thursday, asking anyone with information on their identities or whereabouts to come forward. —Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026

If after 30 days no one comes forward, Biancardi said that the council could make the appointment. —Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026

Rhymes for come forward

• carryforward
• equatorward
• henceforward
• straightforward
• thenceforward
• shoreward

Legal 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.

coming forward with the evidence