remain

1 of 2

verb

re·​main ri-ˈmān How to pronounce remain (audio)
remained; remaining; remains

intransitive verb

1
a
: to be a part not destroyed, taken, or used up
only a few ruins remain
b
: to be something yet to be shown, done, or treated
it remains to be seen
2
: to stay in the same place or with the same person or group
especially : to stay behind
3
: to continue unchanged
the fact remains that we can't go

remain

2 of 2

noun

1
remains plural : a dead body
2
: a remaining part or trace
usually used in plural
3
obsolete : stay

Examples of remain in a Sentence

Verb Little remained after the fire. Only two minutes still remain in the game. The question remains: who fired the shot? She remained in Boston after she finished college. The soldiers were ordered to remain at their posts. I remained behind after the class had ended. He remained with the team. Noun the remains of the house ripped apart by the tornado littered the block for weeks afterward archaeologists discovered the remains of an Incan woman and carefully excavated her burial site, which promised to yield important clues about her status gathered up the remains of the buffet and delivered them to a local homeless shelter
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Statewide unemployment remained flat at 3.3% in September as Arkansas continues to generate record employment levels and improvements in labor-force participation. Andrew Moreau, arkansasonline.com, 23 Oct. 2024 The wreckage of the jet was located resting about 6,000 feet up in a remote, steep and heavily-wooded area, and until Sunday, the status of the crew remained a mystery without a site assessment of the debris area. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
Thorpe particularly highlighted the ongoing harm to Australia's First Nations peoples, including holding on to the remains of Indigenous ancestors. Associated Press, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024 First fossil remains were discovered during an excavation by Brazilian paleontologist Llewellyn Ivor Prince in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, already in 1936, but the fossil species was described only in 1970 by American paleontologist Edwin Harris Colbert. David Bressan, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for remain 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'remain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French remaindre, from Latin remanēre, from re- + manēre to remain — more at mansion

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of remain was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near remain

Cite this Entry

“Remain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remain. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

remain

1 of 2 verb
re·​main ri-ˈmān How to pronounce remain (audio)
1
a
: to be a part not destroyed, taken, or used up
little remained after the fire
b
: to be something yet to be shown, done, or treated
that remains to be seen
2
: to stay in the same place or with the same person or group
especially : to stay behind
3
: to continue unchanged
the weather remained cold

remain

2 of 2 noun
1
: whatever is left over or behind
usually used in plural
the remains of a meal
2
plural : a dead body

More from Merriam-Webster on remain

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