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
But a bill didn’t come forward until the final 72 hours of the session, bypassing the more robust public review process such an important bill should have received, Ament said.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
Witnesses have been asked to come forward to the FWC.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 13 May 2024
The extent of the policing failure has become clearer in recent days, as witnesses have come forward to describe a chaotic night of violence on April 30, in which students and bystanders repeatedly called 911 and nonemergency lines, finding little help and calls that were disconnected.
—Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 12 May 2024
Stowell estimated that fire officials, with help from a consultant, will come forward this winter with recommendations for what the city’s ambulance system should look like moving into the future.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2024
Several former volunteers came forward with reports of neglect.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 8 May 2024
Ashley Grace, an actor and the wife of Topher Grace, recently joined the Model Alliance after coming forward with her own story.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 2 May 2024
After Bitsy's 72-hour stray hold ended and no owner came forward to claim the friendly dog, the pup was prepared for adoption.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
Two victims came forward and said they were assaulted while staying at his home after drinking, prosecutors said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
Witnesses have been asked to come forward to the FWC.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 13 May 2024
The extent of the policing failure has become clearer in recent days, as witnesses have come forward to describe a chaotic night of violence on April 30, in which students and bystanders repeatedly called 911 and nonemergency lines, finding little help and calls that were disconnected.
—Serge F. Kovaleski, New York Times, 12 May 2024
Stowell estimated that fire officials, with help from a consultant, will come forward this winter with recommendations for what the city’s ambulance system should look like moving into the future.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2024
Several former volunteers came forward with reports of neglect.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 8 May 2024
Ashley Grace, an actor and the wife of Topher Grace, recently joined the Model Alliance after coming forward with her own story.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 2 May 2024
After Bitsy's 72-hour stray hold ended and no owner came forward to claim the friendly dog, the pup was prepared for adoption.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024
Two victims came forward and said they were assaulted while staying at his home after drinking, prosecutors said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'come forward.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Come forward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20forward. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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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