Showing results for "remains"

• present tense form of remain (3rd person singular).

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  the unpublished writings of an author at the time of his or her death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 Pima County Sheriff's Department declined to comment on the contents of the notes but said the investigation "remains active and ongoing".

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

The president remains adamant that Iran can’t have a pathway to a nuclear bomb, but much will depend on nuclear negotiations that are expected to begin soon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

It remains unclear if authorities believe the ransom notes are authentic, but the Guthrie family have stated they believe the letters, which were sent to local news media and national outlets like TMZ, were real.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

The amount of money that households are spending on servicing debt has risen since its pandemic-era lows, but remains quite small, relative to history.

From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026

So I busied myself with packing up the remains of my peanut butter sandwich.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• debris
• remnant