remainder

American  

[ri-meyn-der] / rɪˈmeɪn dər /

noun

• remainders
  plural

1. something that remains or is left.

   the remainder of the day.

   Synonyms:

   overage, rest, excess, remnant, residuum

2. a remaining part.

3. Arithmetic.

   1. the quantity that remains after subtraction.

   2. the portion of the dividend that is not evenly divisible by the divisor.

4. Mathematics. the difference between a function or a number and an approximation to it.

5. Law. a future interest so created as to take effect at the end of another estate, as when property is conveyed to one person for life and then to another.

6. Philately. remainders, the quantities of stamps on hand after they have been demonetized or otherwise voided for postal use.

7. a copy of a book remaining in the publisher's stock when its sale has practically ceased, frequently sold at a reduced price.

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adjective

1. remaining; leftover.

verb (used with object)

• remainders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• remaindered,
  past participle,  past
• remaindering
  present participle

1. to dispose of or sell as a remainder.

remainder British  

/ rɪˈmeɪndə /

noun

1. a part or portion that is left, as after use, subtraction, expenditure, the passage of time, etc

   the remainder of the milk

   the remainder of the day

2. maths

   1. the amount left over when one quantity cannot be exactly divided by another

      for 10 ÷ 3, the remainder is 1

   2. another name for difference

3. property law a future interest in property; an interest in a particular estate that will pass to one at some future date, as on the death of the current possessor

4. a number of copies of a book left unsold when demand slows or ceases, which are sold at a reduced price by the publisher

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verb

1. (tr) to sell (copies of a book) as a remainder

remainder Scientific  

/ rĭ-mān′dər /

1. In division, the difference between the dividend and the product of the quotient and divisor. Dividing 14 by 3 gives 4 and a remainder of 2.

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Synonym Usage

Remainder, balance, residue, surplus refer to a portion left over. Remainder is the general word ( the remainder of one's life ); it may refer in particular to the mathematical process of subtraction: 7 minus 5 leaves a remainder of 2. Balance, originally a bookkeeper's term referring to the amount of money left to one's account ( a bank balance ), is often used as a synonym for remainder : the balance of the day. Residue is used particularly to designate what remains as the result of a process; this is usually a chemical process, but the word may also refer to a legal process concerning inheritance: a residue of ash left from burning leaves. Surplus suggests that what remains is in excess of what was needed: a surplus of goods.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• remainders
  plural

Participles

• remaindering
  present
• remaindered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• remainder
  simple
• remainders
  simple
• have remaindered
  perfect
• has remaindered
  perfect
• am remaindering
  progressive
• are remaindering
  progressive
• is remaindering
  progressive
• have been remaindering
  perfect progressive
• has been remaindering
  perfect progressive

Past

• remaindered
  simple
• had remaindered
  perfect
• was remaindering
  progressive
• were remaindering
  progressive
• had been remaindering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will remainder
  simple
• will have remaindered
  perfect
• will be remaindering
  progressive
• will have been remaindering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of remainder

1350–1400; Middle English from Anglo-French, noun use of Middle French remaindre “to remain ”

Explanation

The remainder is whatever is left after the rest has been used up or taken away. In math, if you know the remainder is the number that's left after you divide, that will help you remember the meaning of this word: a remainder is what you have when others things are gone. If you ate all but one piece of a pizza, the one slice left is the remainder. If you spend all your cash except for $4, that's your remainder. Since remaining means to stay somewhere, a remainder is something that stays put.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

remainder remainders remaindered

The strong quarter so far has pushed Wall Street to raise its outlook for the remainder of 2026 and beyond.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

“We remain committed to raising the funds needed to complete the remainder of the project and cement the history, identity, and achievements of Black L.A. for generations to come.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Being released on licence means serving the remainder of a prison sentence under supervised conditions in the community.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

This means cash flow over the remainder of the year will be broadly neutral, they write.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The remainder, under Campion, could have a day’s rest and then make their way back with the does and any other prisoners there might be.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

On the other are the remainders – the gamers, the “Real World” guy and that “Bachelor,” who devised a strategy that led to them rooting out two Traitors.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2024

Now, as they slurp the remainders of their lunch, she cautiously allows the words to escape.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2023

Other remainders include the use of much recorded music, leaving the terrific musicians on hand, like Jiménez and the pianist Anibal César Cruz, underused.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

Many of the remainders are ghost papers, with few reporters who can only produce minimal coverage.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2022

For supper we ate the remainders from the plates of Inkstained and Goldbuttons—cold tongue and brown bread.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Evidence of past fires appeared in swaths of forest remaindered into black skeletons.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2021

The book of my enemy has been remaindered And I am pleased.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2019

The shop officially opened on Wednesday, and is a light-filled temple of modernity: white walls, concrete floors, the bow truss ceiling remaindered from the original structure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2016

Didn’t I just buy that, remaindered, for 25 cents?

From Slate ● Dec. 9, 2015

He never had a sale, never reduced a price and never remaindered.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• rest