come forward

British

verb

to offer one's services; volunteer
to present oneself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

come forward Idioms

Present oneself, offer one's services, as in The boss asked for more help, but no one was inclined to come forward. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"If they fight, we will fight, and if they come forward with logic, we will deal with logic," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, cited by several Iranian news agencies.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

In the days since the accusation became public, other women have come forward with allegations of misconduct, including claims of unwanted touching and inappropriate behavior, according to CNN and other outlets.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

“This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,” the senator said on social media.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The force asked anyone with information, including any footage, to come forward.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

To make things even worse, he encourages people who may know something about the event to come forward and speak with the administration—and says that your identity will be protected if you do.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023