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.

See Examples For:

come forward

Simon said she decided to come forward about her health issues after “so many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Locals in Bordeaux have come forward to help.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Essex Police has urged any witnesses to come forward as its detectives piece together what happened.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Police are urging anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

He was a staunch nationalist and a skillful organizer who was able to balance divergent views and come forward with a suitable compromise.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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