remain
Americanverb (used without object)
-
remains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
remained,
past participle, past
-
remaining
present participle
-
to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified.
to remain at peace.
-
to stay behind or in the same place.
to remain at home;
I'll remain here when you go to the airport.
- Antonyms:
- depart
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to be left after the removal, loss, destruction, etc., of all else.
The front wall is all that remains of the fort.
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to be left to be done, told, shown, etc..
Only the dishwashing remains.
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to be reserved or in store.
noun
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Usually remains. something that remains or is left.
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remains,
-
miscellaneous, fragmentary, or other writings still unpublished at the time of an author's death.
-
traces of some quality, condition, etc.
-
a dead body; corpse.
-
parts or substances remaining from animal or plant life that occur in the earth's crust or strata.
fossil remains;
organic remains.
-
verb
-
to stay behind or in the same place
to remain at home
only Tom remained
-
(copula) to continue to be
to remain cheerful
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to be left, as after use, consumption, the passage of time, etc
a little wine still remained in the bottle
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to be left to be done, said, etc
it remains to be pointed out
Synonym Usage
See continue.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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remainsimple
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remainssimple
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have remainedperfect
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has remainedperfect
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am remainingprogressive
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are remainingprogressive
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is remainingprogressive
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have been remainingperfect progressive
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has been remainingperfect progressive
Past
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remainedsimple
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had remainedperfect
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was remainingprogressive
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were remainingprogressive
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had been remainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of remain
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English remainen, from Anglo-French remain-, stressed stem of Middle French remanoir, from Latin remanēre, equivalent to re- re- + manēre “to stay”; see manor
Explanation
To remain is to stay in the same place or situation. You can remain at home instead of going out to the movies with your friends, but that doesn't mean you won't remain friends. If things remain the same, they don't change, and if your family remains in the same town, they don't move. When something is left behind, it also remains: "All that remains of my party is a bunch of deflated balloons." In the fifteenth century, remain was a noun too, meaning "people or things left over or surviving." Today we use remainder instead.
Vocabulary lists containing remain
"The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet"
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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:
"We remain committed to supporting the families and the Canadian Armed Forces community during this profoundly difficult time, and to honouring Private Dal Bianco's service, dedication and sacrifice to Canada."
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026
Researchers also demonstrated that short laser pulses could temporarily align the electrical islands, even at higher temperatures when the regions would ordinarily remain disorganized.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2026
Washington began probing scholars’ academic links to China and tightened rules allowing overseas scholars to remain in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2026
"No words can ease the pain of losing a loved one, and my thoughts remain with all those affected by this tragedy," he said.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026
“Why would I condemn me and mine to remain in the dark, unseen? I have been dead for too long, Miss Harari. I grow weary of it.”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Clinicians have offered her more interventions that might increase the chance that she remains alive longer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
Although it remains unknown whether modifying these brain patterns can prevent or delay Alzheimer's, the discovery offers a potentially important new direction for research.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026
But a unity government with Netanyahu himself remains unlikely, particularly after Eisenkot denounced his "racist" campaign against Arab parties on Friday.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, but US Coast Guard Capt Melanie Burnham said: "There seems to be some type of a loss of steering."
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026
That will tell us how much of the day has passed and how much of the day remains.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Hundreds more flights were cancelled and questions remained over how such chaos could unfold in the world's largest economy, a country that prides itself on its technological prowess.
From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2026
Cumming remained committed to her rehabilitation, regularly attending physical therapy appointments and performing prescribed exercises.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026
She's echoed by Freeman, who said an "attitude of protecting the talent" remained.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026
Microsoft Teams, a messaging and video chat platform, remained up for many, prompting complaints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
She watched, waiting for something to happen, but the two girls just remained where they were, pretending they were completely transfixed by the movie in front of them.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
American Airlines said it was "focused on operating as many remaining flights as possible this evening".
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026
The researchers also cannot determine how the remaining individuals died.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026
“We have completed our efforts to address the underlying issue of the incident and restored service to the remaining impacted customers and regions,” Microsoft posted on X.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
Jefferson immediately took off for the remaining 14 yards to the end zone on a quarterback draw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026
Again using Inuit techniques, Kane and his remaining men hurried to gather moss and turf to insulate the rooms below deck.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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