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miscellaneous, fragmentary, or other writings still unpublished at the time of an author's death.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.
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verb
-
to stay behind or in the same place
to remain at home
only Tom remained
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(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
-
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
-
has been remainingperfect progressive
Past
-
remainedsimple
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had remainedperfect
-
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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Workshop 4, Part 2
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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:
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.1%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026
By contrast, the city attorney’s race remains all but unknown: More than two-thirds of likely voters are still undecided, versus about a third who remain uncommitted in the mayor’s contest, polling showed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
New Zealand, the world's second-ranked side, remain the last team to defeat the Red Roses at the World Cup final in 2022.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
In their statement on X, JEP vowed to "remain vigilant and continue to demand full freedom for all those who are still waiting."
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Once there, it can remain for decades, releasing radiation into the bones and bone marrow.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Still, he remains humble in the face of every reason not to be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
The Southern Water spokesperson added: "Restoring water to customers as quickly as possible remains our highest priority."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
But it remains to be seen whether and how the guidelines will influence Wednesday's court decision on Tsuda's case.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The Innocence Project and other lawyers representing Johnson said their focus remains “on Dennis, whose innocence we firmly believe in, and for whom we will continue to fight.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The exact date of when Boo came into the Very, Very Far North remains a mystery.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Stephens remained on the sideline, Riley said, “because he’s on our football team.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on social media Sunday that several roads remained flooded and water levels in the city's canals were still high, but authorities were working to speed up drainage.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Had she remained in Europe, she could have claimed her freedom under Dutch law at the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
At the same time, the U.S. stock market has remained relatively calm.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
Though Kate remained in Auburn, the spirits in Rochester spelled out meticulous instructions for a presentation to the public.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Much of the remaining $1 billion had been ordered as restitution, meant to repay victims’ losses.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The first shortages prompted a rush on certain products as residents sought to stock up before winter, he said, but he is remaining calm.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Roberts said Ohtani would play all three of the Dodgers’ remaining regular-season games — “to accrue as many at-bats as he can” — against the San Francisco Giants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
It is actually something of an optical illusion, because the options are not getting more expensive in terms of price as the earnings date approaches; they are remaining the same price.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Dr. Krupp drafted the two most experienced drivers to take the remaining forty-two students home in two buses.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
