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
The others have waited years to come forward with their experiences.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
After coming forward with his story in 2011, Dati has worked as a public speaker and advocate for organizations like National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN).
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Remy’s story has been shared on Instagram where people posted their well-wishes and hopes for Remy, but so far no one has come forward to adopt him.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Delbarton publicly acknowledged in 2018 that at least 30 men had come forward with allegations that, over three decades, 13 past or current priests and monks at the school had victimized them — in addition to a lay faculty member who is now retired.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come forward
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Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
After coming forward with his story in 2011, Dati has worked as a public speaker and advocate for organizations like National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN).
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Remy’s story has been shared on Instagram where people posted their well-wishes and hopes for Remy, but so far no one has come forward to adopt him.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Delbarton publicly acknowledged in 2018 that at least 30 men had come forward with allegations that, over three decades, 13 past or current priests and monks at the school had victimized them — in addition to a lay faculty member who is now retired.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 16 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 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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