- present tense form of remain (3rd person singular).
remains
Britishplural noun
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any pieces, scraps, fragments, etc, that are left unused or still extant, as after use, consumption, the passage of time, etc
the remains of a meal
archaeological remains
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the body of a dead person; corpse
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Also called: literary remains. the unpublished writings of an author at the time of his or her death
Explanation
The word remains can mean a dead body, so a detective might investigate to find out if some bones found in a lake are human or non-human remains. You can also use remains to mean the part of something that's left behind after the rest has been used or thrown away. So the remains of your birthday cake might just be some crumbs and melted candles, and the remains of a building after an earthquake could consist of a crumbling foundation. In a murder mystery, though, remains are likely to be human bodies.
Vocabulary lists containing remains
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.
Looking out to 2030, viability "remains extremely limited and mainly only concerns raw materials", Eve Barre, an economist who piloted the Coface study, said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
His fellow Frenchman and PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola remains Liverpool's main target as they look to strengthen in the wide attacking areas before the transfer window concludes.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Sweden’s central bank left rates unchanged at 1.75% at this meeting and said a rate rise later this year remains a possibly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Warsh remains something of an unknown for financial markets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Fredrick’s affliction remains; if anything, it grows worse.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
