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

A number of alleged victims, including ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, came forward to voice concerns about the potential for a shorter sentence. —Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025

By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025

In the Sunshine State, the winners of drawing games have about six months to come forward. —Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025

Neither of those two was particularly keen to give Mitchell the opportunity to come forward. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

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