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.

Last week, Thames Valley Police issued a fresh appeal for people to come forward with information, following Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

A live investigation by the Metropolitan police into those who may have facilitated or enabled Al Fayed's offending is continuing, and it is urging anyone with information to come forward.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

He urged anyone with information to come forward and speak to the Commission.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Pelicot said she hoped her own story "was useful for her to make that decision" to come forward.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

My grandmother had come forward now in her armchair so that she was sitting right on the edge of it.

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

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