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
Perhaps a more accurate throughline across Ahn’s output is that his characters, knowingly or unknowingly, need their emotions to come forward.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 18 Apr. 2025
The aim, officials have said, is to ensure crime victims, witnesses and others are willing to come forward without fear of being detained and removed from the country.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
In the aftermath of Selonia's murder, her family came forward with more information -- some of it directed at one of Reginald's friends, Jimmy Ray Barnes.
—Vladimir Duthiers, Paul Larosa, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2025
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and the prosecutor's office is asking any witnesses to come forward.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for come forward
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Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 18 Apr. 2025
The aim, officials have said, is to ensure crime victims, witnesses and others are willing to come forward without fear of being detained and removed from the country.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
In the aftermath of Selonia's murder, her family came forward with more information -- some of it directed at one of Reginald's friends, Jimmy Ray Barnes.
—Vladimir Duthiers, Paul Larosa, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2025
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and the prosecutor's office is asking any witnesses to come forward.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 12 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 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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