remnant

1 of 2

noun

rem·​nant ˈrem-nənt 

1

a

: a usually small part, member, or trace remaining

b

: a small surviving group

—often used in plural

2

: an unsold or unused end of piece goods

remnant

2 of 2

adjective

: still remaining

Synonyms of remnant

Noun

• rest
• remainder

Examples of remnant in a Sentence

Noun

Remnants go on sale next week.

sailed home with just a remnant of the colony's original population aboard

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hand said in the morning that an engineer was assessing the site to determine if the remnants of the structure are at risk of a collapse that could damage nearby homes. —Joe Brandt, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025

Piles of hail that resembled dirty remnants of snow in the desert straddled rows of the largely empty parking lot. —Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 20 Nov. 2025

Adjective

It is forecast to head northwest toward Taiwan, expected to make landfall over western Taiwan on Thursday before rapidly weakening over the Taiwan landmass and emerging near the Ryukyu Islands as a remnant low or weak tropical depression. —Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

Swanson Beard noted that the entire first collection used all remnant fabrics from companies such as Ralph Lauren and Loro Piana. —Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, contraction of remenant, from Anglo-French remanant, from present participle of remaindre to remain — more at remain entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

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

Adjective

1550, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

remnant

noun

rem·​nant

ˈrem-nənt

1

: a surviving usually small part

remnants of a great civilization

2

: something that remains or is left over

a remnant of cloth