remain

verb re·main \ ri-ˈmān \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: remain in a Sentence

Definition of remain

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

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See remain defined for kids

Examples of remain in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of remain from the Web

Depth remains an issue because oftentimes, the middlemen are tasked with keeping the game within reach; most of the Tigers’ relievers can’t be fully trusted to do so.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers observations: Victor Martinez isn't hitting cleanup anymore," 11 June 2018
But back in the 1960s, human spaceflight remained an area of simultaneous wonder and worry.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "Trailer: 20th century’s greatest technical achievement goes Hollywood in First Man," 11 June 2018
Even at the height of the Yeezy debacle, Trump’s favorability among black voters remained unchanged.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Black People Aren’t Stupid: The False Notion That Kanye and Kim Are Helping Trump Win Black Voters," 11 June 2018
There remain deeply divergent positions among scientists about how to design outbreak trials, specifically whether studies that don’t compare treatments to placebos can generate useful data.

— helen branswell, STAT, "With short outbreaks and complex permissions, testing critical Ebola treatments is a challenge," 11 June 2018
Delaware County’s population also remained stable, with growth of just 1 percent since 2010.

— jonathan lai, Philly.com, "Census data show Chester County's hot, South Jersey's not. Here's how towns are changing," 11 June 2018
The incident remains under investigation and police provided no additional details.

— james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Two young people dead following shooting on northwest side Sunday night," 11 June 2018
Even though intention has become the scarcest resource, attention remains valuable.

— daniel h. pink, The Atlantic, "The Future of Television Is Being Able to Pick Shows by Length," 11 June 2018
Keck's partner in Goodnight Charlie's, Peter McCarthy, remains front and center on the business side of things.

— dale robertson, Houston Chronicle, "Master Sommelier David Keck to open three wine-centric spots in Montrose," 11 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'remain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of remain

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

remain Synonyms

remain

noun

Definition of remain

1 obsolete : stay

2 : a remaining part or trace —usually used in plural

3 remains plural : a dead body

Recent Examples of remain from the Web

Erin's remains were turned over to her husband Jon.

— paul larosa, CBS News, "Search for missing Marine wife "like finding a needle in a thousand haystacks”," 12 June 2018
The Japanese government, however, has maintained that DNA testing showed that the remains did not in fact belong to the deceased abductees.

— NBC News, "Japanese citizens simply vanished. North Korea had abducted them. But why?," 11 June 2018
State District Judge John Hawkins granted permission for the school district to move forward with exhuming the remains during a hearing last Monday based on Fort Bend ISD's petition to the court.

— brooke a. lewis, Houston Chronicle, "Fort Bend ISD board considers contract to exhume century-old remains at work site," 10 June 2018
Court records said the photo was taken minutes before the dog's remains were left outside the apartment.

— kaitlyn schwers, kansascity, "Teen stabbed dog 11 times, Missouri cops say. Owner believes he was out for revenge," 8 June 2018
Archaeological studies ensued, and the site was named a city landmark in 2013, setting off years of discussions about the proper way to treat the remains.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "Queen Village makes room for memorial to a historic African American burial ground," 7 June 2018
According to North Korea, Megumi killed herself in 1994, but DNA testing on remains returned to her family by Pyongyang was inconclusive.

— james griffiths, CNN, "Abe wants to make Trump's North Korea talks even more complicated," 7 June 2018
The wreck site and ship remains were not discovered until 1986.

— jasmine sanders, The Cut, "You’ll Have to Wait Until 2019 for That $100,000 Tour of the Titanic Wreckage," 7 June 2018
However, more than a dozen active volcanoes at remain under watch by volcanologists at Katmai in an effort to protect the public from harm.

— mahita gajanan, Time, "8 of the World’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes, According to Experts," 6 June 2018

First Known Use of remain

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

REMAIN Defined for English Language Learners

remain

verb

Definition of remain for English Language Learners

: to be left when the other parts are gone or have been used
: to be something that still needs to be done, dealt with, etc.
: to stay in the same place or with the same person or group : to stay after others have gone