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

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

This is a great win for all domestic violence victims, especially those that are scared to come forward. —CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026

But once the vehicle starts coming forward, that changes the dynamic of the situation. —ABC News, 11 Jan. 2026

Casanova said the committee’s registry of political prisoners continues to grow, particularly since Thursday’s announcement, as relatives of previously undocumented detainees come forward seeking help. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026

Two West Virginia female students and their families came forward with the allegations against one of the trans plaintiffs ahead of oral arguments for the case next week. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 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