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
In the aftermath of former Vice President Kamala Harris’s devastating loss to President Donald Trump last November, many people have come forward to describe the lengths Biden’s closest allies went to in order to cover up his cognitive lapses and declining health.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 13 May 2025
Several women came forward afterwards with allegations and lawsuits along the same vein.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 12 May 2025
After a 2024 series of Miami Herald articles containing interviews with witnesses who were never contacted by investigators from either agency, another witness, a Miami-Dade County firefighter who pulled Pino from the water, came forward and said Pino showed signs of impairment in his opinion.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
But after the initial story and Tucker’s subsequent denial, several more women came forward days later with strikingly similar accounts in another Baltimore Banner report.
—Brian Wacker, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2025
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Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 13 May 2025
Several women came forward afterwards with allegations and lawsuits along the same vein.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 12 May 2025
After a 2024 series of Miami Herald articles containing interviews with witnesses who were never contacted by investigators from either agency, another witness, a Miami-Dade County firefighter who pulled Pino from the water, came forward and said Pino showed signs of impairment in his opinion.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 May 2025
But after the initial story and Tucker’s subsequent denial, several more women came forward days later with strikingly similar accounts in another Baltimore Banner report.
—Brian Wacker, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 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 23 May. 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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