- 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 the unpublished writings of an author at the time of his or her death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.
Despite a pedigree that includes work in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Hammer Museum, Herman remains resolutely modest and insatiably curious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
A cordon remains in place outside the house in Fern Hill and a Home Office post-mortem examination was due to be carried out on Monday.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
"While our aspiration to serve customers in India remains, we look forward to exploring several options to advance our presence in the market over the long term," Seven & i Holdings said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Regardless of his motives, ownership remains solely with him and his wife, while the parents contribute approximately $1.2 million of their assets.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“But don’t let that fool you. If the identity of the book you’re using remains secret, it’s an absolutely unbreakable code.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
