remand

1 of 2

verb

re·​mand ri-ˈmand 

remanded; remanding; remands

transitive verb

: to order back: such as

a

: to send back (a case) to another court or agency for further action

b

: to return to custody pending trial or for further detention

remand

2 of 2

noun

plural remands

law

: the act of remanding something or someone or the state of being remanded : an order to return or send back someone or something

a

: the return of a case to another court or agency for further action

… there was a rejection of the count that Microsoft attempted to monopolize the browser field, a remand to district court of the issue of whether Microsoft illegally "tied" its browser to Windows …

—Steven Levy

b

: the return of a person to custody pending trial or for further detention

On one side of the prison there was a block of prisoners on remand; on the other side were the convicts …

—Jim Lewis and Tom Vanderbilt

Did you know?

Remand means "order back" or "send back". After losing a case in a lower court, lawyers will frequently appeal it to a higher court. If the higher court looks at the case and sees that the lower court made certain kinds of errors, it will simply remand it, while telling the lower court how it fell short the first time: by not instructing the jury thoroughly, for example, or by not taking into account a recent related court decision.

Examples of remand in a Sentence

Verb

The judge remanded the case for further consideration.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Convicted in 2011 of Christensen’s murder, Jonsson was remanded to a psychiatric hospital. —Kc Baker, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025

He was not immediately remanded and will report to prison at a future date. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2025

Noun

So a remand does not necessarily mean that health insurers will gain the power to deny coverage for cancer screenings or anti-HIV medication. —Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Action for Children’s mother and baby units provide a dedicated place for new and expectant mothers serving a prison sentence or on remand, Kate’s office at Kensington Palace said. —Simon Perry, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English remaunden, from Anglo-French remander, from Late Latin remandare to send back word, from Latin re- + mandare to order — more at mandate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1841, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing remand

• remand centre
• remand (someone) on bail

Rhymes for remand

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

remand

1 of 2 verb

re·​mand

ri-ˈmand

1

: to send back a case to another court for further action

2

: to return to custody to be held longer or to await trial

remand

2 of 2 noun

: the act of remanding : the state of being remanded

sent back on remand

Legal Definition

remand

1 of 2 verb

re·​mand ri-ˈmand 

transitive verb

1

: to return (a case or matter) from one court to another especially lower court or from a court to an administrative agency

the judgment of the trial court is reversed and the cause remanded to the superior court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion

—McCarton v. Estate of Watson, 693 P.2d 192 (1984)

compare affirm

2

: to send (an accused) back into custody by court order (as pending trial) : turn (a prisoner) over for continued detention

intransitive verb

: to return a case to a lower court or other tribunal

the court remanded for resentencing

—K. A. Cohen

remand

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of remanding or state of being remanded

2

: an order remanding a case or person

Etymology

Verb

Anglo-French remander, from Middle French, to order back, from Late Latin remandare to send back word, from Latin re- back + mandare to order