remain

verb re·main \ ri-ˈmān \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

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

The five-time All-Star trotted most of the way to first holding the few inches of the handle that remained after tagging a 95 mph fastball from Jacob deGrom.

— ben walker, chicagotribune.com, "Bryce Harper hits broken-bat home run: 'Barreled it pretty good. It just broke and kept going'," 17 Apr. 2018
The five-time All-Star trotted most of the way to first holding the few inches of the handle that remained after connecting in the first off Jacob deGrom.

— ben walker, baltimoresun.com, "After hitting early broken-bat homer, Harper sparks 6-run 8th with single as Nats top Mets, 8-6," 17 Apr. 2018
Whether that remains true over the course of a seven-game series could decide the Blazers' playoff fate.

— joe freeman, OregonLive.com, "Trail Blazers' Jusuf Nurkic pledges 'to be more aggressive' in Game 2 vs. Pelicans," 17 Apr. 2018
The roadway was closed for several hours because of the crash, which remains under investigation.

— travis fedschun, Fox News, "Small plane makes crash landing on busy Colorado road," 17 Apr. 2018
Last year, a blogger who had criticized extremists was found stabbed in Male, a killing that remains unsolved.

— shashank bengali, latimes.com, "He brought world attention to his sinking island nation. Now he wonders if he can go back," 17 Apr. 2018
The Cape May Warbler was a species that had remained just out of reach throughout my trip. .

— bruce m. beehler, Smithsonian, "Thirty-Seven Warblers in a Hundred Days," 16 Apr. 2018
The idea is that students who returned after looping out could use the time that remained to retrain for new careers later in life, whether in their 30s or 50s.

— jeffrey selingo, The Atlantic, "The Future of College Looks Like the Future of Retail," 16 Apr. 2018
The incident, which remains under investigation, happened about 9:25 a.m. Monday at the Allegheny Station.

— joseph a. gambardello, Philly.com, "Person killed by SEPTA Broad Street Line train," 16 Apr. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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

The Mendocino County Coroner Division announced on Tuesday that through DNA analysis the remains of 12-year-old Ciera Hart were positively identified, according to a news release obtained by PEOPLE.

— harriet sokmensuer, PEOPLE.com, "Family-of-8's Missing Child Found in the Water Weeks After Their SUV Plunged Off Calif. Cliff," 17 Apr. 2018
The state had recently passed a law requiring archaeological assessments before construction on any property where human remains were discovered.

— nereida moreno, latimes.com, "Challenge at Chicago school construction site: Watch for 38,000 unmarked graves," 15 Apr. 2018
An investigation is underway after skeletal remains were discovered inside a west Birmingham house on Tuesday.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Skeletal remains found in southwest Birmingham house," 10 Apr. 2018
DuBois was killed between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, according to an indictment that charged Bryan and Christopher Costello with first-degree murder and desecrating human remains.

— robert moran, Philly.com, "Burlco man, 26, admits to fatal baseball bat beating," 9 Apr. 2018
Construction workers are taking careful steps to avoid disturbing human remains that may lie beneath the soil.

— nereida moreno, chicagotribune.com, "As workers dig at new CPS school site, they try to avoid Dunning’s unmarked graves," 5 Apr. 2018
Skeletal remains found March 8 in a Buckeye field have been identified as those of Jesse Wilson, a 10-year-old boy whose July 2016 disappearance spurred a multitude of searchers and captivated the Valley.

— azcentral, "AZ Memo: Tempe motorcycle officers now carry AR-15s; what it costs to graduate in AZ; inside look at a 'D' rated school," 28 Mar. 2018
On Monday, March 19th, the City of Alexandria announced that the remains of two historic ships have been discovered at the construction site in Old Town that previously housed Robinson Terminal South.

— Southern Living, "An Amazing Historic Discovery Has Been Made in Old Town Alexandria," 27 Mar. 2018
In June 2017, researchers traveled to Nikumaroro with dogs who had been specially trained to sniff the chemicals left behind by decaying human remains.

— author: marwa eltagouri, Anchorage Daily News, "Bones discovered on a Pacific island belong to Amelia Earhart, a new forensic analysis shows," 8 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of remain

15th century

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