remain

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verb re·main \ ri-ˈmān \

Definition of remain

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

See remain defined for English-language learners

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

However, issues like childcare still remain a challenge.

— joy lanzendorfer, The Atlantic, "Why Aren’t There More Women Working in Audio?," 30 Aug. 2017
The results of that work are contained in the final report which remains at the Department of Justice.

— jsonline.com, "Trust damaged between Milwaukee police and community, Department of Justice draft report says," 30 Aug. 2017
In a blender, purée the remaining ingredients with the soaking liquid.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "Beer Mustard recipe | Eiderdown," 29 Aug. 2017
Thinly slice remaining 2 scallions and set aside on your board.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "One-Skillet Corn Chilaquiles," 29 Aug. 2017
This year, because Trump’s order, arrivals in August and September are likely to remain low.

— kate morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Refugees trickle into San Diego County," 28 Aug. 2017
Spur 280 Southbound I-35W traffic has been unable to exit at Spur 280 since last year, and the exit is likely to remain closed for about another year.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Tired of fighting road construction downtown? Here’s how long it’s going to last," 28 Aug. 2017
While the pardon formally forgives the sheriff’s lawlessness, the legal proceeding to this point will remain (another) mark against him.

— the editors, National Review, "A Bad Pardon," 28 Aug. 2017
Gray said employing an alternative strategy to negative campaigning remains unlikely for Strange, including a Trump appearance in Alabama.

— john sharp, AL.com, "How 'Big Luther' can score a big comeback in Alabama's Senate race," 27 Aug. 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

remain Synonyms

Synonyms

abide, dwell, hang around, ¹stay, stick around, tarry

Antonyms

bail, bail out, bug out, buzz (off), clear off [chiefly British], clear out, cut out, depart, exit, get off, go, go off, leave, move, pack (up or off), peel off, pike (out or off), pull out, push off, push on, quit, shove (off), take off, vamoose, walk out

Related Words

await, hang on, hold on, wait; dally, dawdle, linger, loiter; outstay, overstay

Near Antonyms

abscond, book [slang], decamp, escape, evacuate, flee, fly, get out, run away, scat, scram, skip; abandon, desert, forsake, vacate

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

Lebanon has defended the agreement, in which the militants are said to have revealed the location of the remains of nine Lebanese soldiers who had been captured in 2014.

— bassem mroue, The Seattle Times, "US-led coalition says it may hit IS evacuees in Syria," 30 Aug. 2017
The remains found earlier in the week by the Malaysian navy were medically examined and will be returned to Malaysian authorities, the fleet said in a statement.

— chicago tribune staff, chicagotribune.com, "Navy confirms downstate sailor among those missing from USS McCain," 24 Aug. 2017
The remains of one missing sailor were found on the ship.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "Navy Ends Its Search for Missing Sailors From the U.S.S. McCain," 24 Aug. 2017
Once upon a time, the remains of Jefferson Davis and P.G.T. Beauregard were on display in the building.

— contributing writer, NOLA.com, "Gallier Hall, y'all: The history of the New Orleans landmark," 18 Aug. 2017
These videos became the basis for a pernicious rumor that Planned Parenthood was profiting from fetal remains—even though the videos were found to be manipulated and Planned Parenthood was cleared of all charges.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "Judge Finds Anti-Abortion Activist Behind Planned Parenthood Videos in Contempt," 18 July 2017
The act says that both parents would need to agree on what to do with the remains of an aborted fetus.

— megan friedman, Marie Claire, "In Arkansas, Women Might Need to Get Their Rapist's Permission to Get an Abortion," 11 July 2017
The remains of a man believed to be Andrew Cunanan were found Wednesday night by police who stormed a houseboat after a four-hour siege, according to Miami Beach Mayor Seymour Gelber and other sources.

— by frances robles, john lantigua and martin merzer, miamiherald, "How the search for Versace’s killer came to a shocking end on a houseboat," 2 July 2017
On Monday, a Madrid court statement said that tests with DNA from Dali's embalmed body were necessary because there were no other existing biological remains with which to make a genetic comparison.

— aritz parra, chicagotribune.com, "Salvador Dali's bones to be exhumed in Spain for paternity test," 26 June 2017

First Known Use of remain

15th century

REMAIN Defined for English Language Learners

remain

play

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