remand
Americanverb (used with object)
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remands,
present (3rd person singular)
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remanded,
past participle, past
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remanding
present participle
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to send back, remit, or consign again.
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Law.
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to send back (a case) to a lower court from which it was appealed, with instructions as to what further proceedings should be had.
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(of a court or magistrate) to send back (a prisoner or accused person) into custody, as to await further proceedings.
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noun
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remands
plural
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the act of remanding.
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the state of being remanded.
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a person remanded.
verb
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law (of a court or magistrate) to send (a prisoner or accused person) back into custody or admit him to bail, esp on adjourning a case for further inquiries to be made
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to send back
noun
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the sending of a prisoner or accused person back into custody (or sometimes admitting him to bail) to await trial or continuation of his trial
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the act of remanding or state of being remanded
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in custody or on bail awaiting trial or completion of one's trial
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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remandsimple
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remandssimple
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have remandedperfect
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has remandedperfect
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am remandingprogressive
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are remandingprogressive
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is remandingprogressive
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have been remandingperfect progressive
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has been remandingperfect progressive
Past
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remandedsimple
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had remandedperfect
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was remandingprogressive
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were remandingprogressive
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had been remandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of remand
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English remaunden (verb), from Old French remander, from Late Latin remandāre “to repeat a command, send back word,” equivalent to re- re- + mandāre “to entrust, enjoin”; see mandate
Explanation
In law, to remand is to send a case back to be reconsidered by another court — or to imprison someone who's been arrested until they go to trial. In some cases, a court will remand a case for a completely new trial, and in others it might instruct the new court to use different legal standards, or to decide only on a defendant's sentence. When a judge remands an accused criminal — holding them in custody until the case goes to trial — it's often because they have a criminal record or have been charged with very serious crimes.
Vocabulary lists containing remand
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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Just Mercy
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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.
See Examples For:
"While decisions on bail and remand are always a matter for the independent court, bail can be electronically monitored."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
"If that happened, police could not make arrests, courts could not remand offenders and there would be unchecked criminality on our streets," it added.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
In mitigation, Carter's defence said that he had reached rock bottom after a domestic breakdown, and that he is now correctly medicated since being on remand in Swansea prison.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
The juvenile from HMP Feltham A, which holds children aged between 15 and 18 who are on remand or have been convicted, died in hospital on Monday.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
On remand for numerous larcenies: Mulch Diggums, the kleptomaniac dwarf.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Ultimately, after an initial conviction for manslaughter and the inevitable appeals and remands, Escamilla was acquitted of all charges, given the faulty rifle.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2020
This might happen if the court remands them to lower courts for further review.
From Washington Post ● May 18, 2020
The Supreme Court’s decision affirms the appeals court ruling and remands the case back to superior court.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2016
The ruling remands the case back to the lower U.S.
From Washington Times ● May 16, 2016
There had been two or three remands, and now there was yet another.
From The Vicar of Bullhampton by Anthony Trollope
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was remanded into local authority care.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He was remanded into custody to appear at at the Old Bailey on 25 September.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Ellis had been remanded in custody and was due to appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court later, they said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Jeanne and Sani were remanded in custody and will next appear with their co-accused at Cardiff Crown Court on 4 September.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
At 8:30 I appeared before the local magistrate and was formally remanded to Johannesburg.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
In court Wednesday, Judge Curtis Farber presided over arguments to retry the case, remanding 72-year-old Weinstein and ordering a trial after Labor Day.
From Salon ● May 1, 2024
This year a report said Northern Ireland had one of the highest rates in Europe for remanding people into custody.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2023
Gen. Rob Bonta’s office, which supported remanding Prudholme’s case to the trial court, said it was reviewing the high court’s decision but otherwise declined to comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
The Justice Department in May urged justices to consider remanding Nike's case to the Federal Circuit to give the company an opportunity to challenge the patent-invalidity decision based on the Merit Systems Protection Board's ruling.
From Reuters ● Jun. 26, 2023
Only dimly did he hear the judge dismissing the jury, remanding Cora for retrial, adjourning court.
From The Gray Dawn by Stewart Edward White
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.
