remains

British  

/ rɪˈmeɪnz /

plural noun

1. 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

2. the body of a dead person; corpse

3. Also called: literary remains.  the unpublished writings of an author at the time of his or her death

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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.

Example Sentences

The company said it doesn’t expect to book any significant cost from the termination of the study, and that its guidance for 2026 remains unchanged.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Despite exponential revenue growth, Anthropic remains far from profitability and is paying a premium for computing power.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Published in the journal Drugs, the review offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of where opioids help, where they do not, and where evidence remains limited.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

"It remains too difficult for consumers to contact companies when things go wrong, financial support is poorly promoted, while basic billing errors are pushing households further into debt," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

The analysis of the remains, conducted by researchers from Cardiff University, the Mary Rose Trust, and the British Geological Survey, were among the most extensive ever undertaken.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• debris
• remnant