remainre‧main /rɪˈmeɪn/ ●●● S1 W1 verb 
Please remain seated until all the lights are on. We remained friends. The boy remained silent.remain as Despite the job losses, Parker remained as manager.remain unclear/unchanged/unanswered etc Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say something or someone stays in a particular state, condition, or place, rather than remains in it:· We stayed friends.GRAMMAR: Linking verbsRemain is a linking verb in this meaning. This type of verb links the subject of the sentence with an adjective or noun: · He remains undecided about what to do.· Traffic congestion remains a problem.2[intransitive] formal to stay in the same place without moving away SYN stayremain at/in/with etc She was too ill to remain at home. The refugees were allowed to remain in the UK.► see thesaurus at stay3[intransitive] to continue to exist or be left after others have gone, been used, or been destroyed: Little of the original building remains. The score is tied, with fifteen minutes remaining. What remains of his original art collection is now in the city museum.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that something is left rather than remains.· Not much of the old town is left.4[intransitive] to be left after other things have been dealt withremain to be done Several points remain to be settled. There remained a few jobs still to be finished. The fact remains that racism is still a considerable problem.5it remains to be seen used to say that it is still uncertain whether something will happen or is true: It remains to be seen whether the operation was successful.
WORD ORIGINremain
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French remaindre, from Latin remanere, from manere ‘to stay’VERB TABLE
remain
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | remain |
| he, she, it | remains | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | remained |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have remained |
| he, she, it | has remained | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had remained |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will remain |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have remained |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A few problems remain to be discussed.
- Byrd is likely to lose what remains of his fortune.
- He's decided to remain in his present job for the time being.
- He had finished, but he remained at the microphone for a few minutes, gazing at the audience.
- He was determined to remain out west until he had made his fortune.
- Her unhappy face remained with me throughout the rest of my journey.
- His doctors say this his condition remains the same.
- Not much remained of the house after the fire.
- Sean remained close to his kids after the divorce.
- She remained calm and waited till he had finished shouting at her.
- Sir Rocco Forte will remain as chief executive of the UK hotels company.
- Some 2,000 students, lecturers and university workers remained inside, refusing to leave.
- Some elements of the old class system still remain.
- The children will remain with their mother.
- The computers remained in their boxes until enough money was found to buy the software needed to operate them.
- The details of his death remain a closely guarded secret.
- The judge ruled that Borkin should remain in jail until his case is heard.
- The others were dismissed, but Harwood was asked to remain behind.
- The picture remained with the artist's family for a number of years.
- Two men remain in captivity.
- He later became the station's news director, but remained on the air in various capacities.
- My right leg remained shorter than my left by about half an inch.
- She remained standing, evidently not very sure how to begin.
- Therefore she must be prepared to remain single, and accept the social consequences of her decision.
- When he was promoted to deputy chairman of the Plastics Division in 1966 he remained in charge of the film group.
- While an authority's management style is usually affected by environmental factors there always remains an element of choice.
THESAURUS
to not leave a place, or to be in a place for a particular period of time: · Stay where you are and don’t move.· John only stayed at the party for a couple of hours.
formal to stay somewhere. In written English, people often prefer to use remain rather than stay, because it sounds more formal: · Some 2,000 protesters remained outside the building and refused to leave.· The judge recommended that he remain in jail for the rest of his life.
to stay in a place a little longer than you need to, because you are enjoying yourself, or because you hope to see someone or something: · He lingered outside the lecture hall, hoping for a chance to talk to her.· There are plenty of small cafés where you can linger over a cappuccino.
to stay in a place not doing anything – used when you think someone is waiting for the chance to do something bad or illegal: · The two men had been seen loitering in the area on the day that the car was stolen.
informal to stay somewhere not doing anything: · There are gangs of boys hanging around on street corners.· I don’t mind hanging around for a few minutes.· The boss doesn’t like being kept hanging around.
informal to stay in the same place or situation for a period of time, especially while you are waiting for something to happen or someone to arrive: · I decided to stick around and see how it all turned out.· Make up your mind. I’m not going to stick around forever.
Longman Language Activatorto remain something or someone that is left is still there after everything or everyone else has gone or has been used: · Jones scored with only two minutes left in the fourth quarter.· Is there any milk left?· By 5 o'clock there was no one left in the office.have something left: · How much time do we have left to finish this?the only one/person/thing etc left: · If Tracey leaves, I'll be the only girl left in the class.
something that is left over , especially money or food, is still there after you have used everything that you need: · I pay all the bills and save any money that is left over.be left over from: · Was there any food left over from the party?· Toy bears left over from an ad campaign will be donated to the children's hospital.
formal if something remains , it still exists or is still available after everything else has gone, been used, or been dealt with: · We have dealt with most things, but a few small problems remain.· Some elements of the old class system still remain.remain of: · Not much remained of the house after the fire.remain to be done: · A few problems remain to be discussed.
to remain in existence even after a very long time has passed or after something dangerous has happened: · Many Roman roads still survive today.· The English language contains many Saxon words that have survived for over 1000 years.· Very few government buildings survived the bombing in Hanoi.
if something such as a building or tree is still standing or is left standing after a fire, explosion, or a very long time, it is left after many others have gone or been destroyed: · After the earthquake only a few houses were still standing.· Many of the trees Mrs. Socci planted are still standing, a hundred years later.· A stone chimney was the only thing left standing.· The old barracks are still standing on the north side of the island.
if you have something such as money, time, or material to spare , there is some left after you have used as much as you need: · If you have time to spare, consider volunteering at your local school.with something to spare: · We arrived at the station with only a few seconds to spare before the train left.· Russia is large enough that you could fit the United States inside it with room to spare.
if you still have four miles, six hours, two years etc to go , you have that distance or length of time left before a journey or period of time is over: · Only another mile to go!· We've got another couple of hours to go before finishing.with something to go: · Evans scored with only two minutes to go in the game.
words for describing someone or something that remains especially written the remaining people or things are the ones that are left when all the others have gone, been used, or been dealt with: · Combine the remaining ingredients, mixing well.· The remaining black bears are at risk from development in the area.· the Navy's one remaining aircraft-carrier
the last thing is the only one that remains: · I need to get some more film; this is my last roll.· The last five winners will be named next Tuesday.
left after everything else has been used, and therefore available to be used: · Are there any spare chairs we can borrow?· You can stay with us, we have a spare bedroom.spare change: · I put my spare change in a charity collection box.spare time: · A lot of kids don't have enough to do in their spare time, and that's when they get into trouble.
not used, not eaten etc at the end of a meal or an activity: · Use leftover turkey in casseroles and sandwiches.· She used leftover scraps of fabric to make a patchwork apron.· Take all your leftover bottles to be recycled.
work or money that is outstanding still has to be done or paid, especially after the time when it should have been done or paid: · We need time to catch up with outstanding orders.· Any outstanding claims must be settled by the end of the year.· There are a few problems still outstanding.
the part of something that remains what is left after everything or everyone else has gone, been used, or been dealt with: · You carry these two bags and I'll bring the rest.· Homes were found for about 5,000 of the animals, but the rest had to be killed.the rest of: · What will you do with the rest of the money?· He'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
the small amount that remains after everything else has gone, or been eaten, used, destroyed etc. What remains of is more formal than what is left of: · Soldiers were firing on what remained of the church.· At last she went, and I settled down to enjoy what was left of the afternoon.
the very last part of something that is left after everything else has gone: · The last of the tickets were sold Thursday.· This is the last of the paint, and I don't think it's going to be enough.· The judge sentenced the last of the three defendants in the case to 10 years.
formal the part of something that remains after everything else has gone: · £100 of the purchase price must be paid now, and the remainder is to be paid off in monthly installments.the remainder of: · Simmer the soup uncovered for the remainder of the cooking time.· The school board agreed to suspend Linda Cole for the remainder of the school year.
the part of something that remains after everything else has gone or been eaten, used, destroyed etc: the remains of sth: · Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Roman village.· Each pile of gray ash was the remains of a house.
informal food that has not been eaten at the end of a meal: · We used the leftovers to make soup the next day.· It's a great way to use up leftovers.
the parts that remain when the rest of a building has been destroyed: · In Greece we spent a lot of time exploring old churches and ruins.· the ancient Mayan ruins at Chichen Itzaruins of: · Lumber was salvaged from the ruins of burned-out houses.
the few parts of something that remain after people have stopped using it or after it has been destroyed: · Archeologists are worried that the ancient steps, walls, and other remnants may be lost forever.remnants from: · Two stained glass windows were remnants from when the building had been used as a church.remnants of: · Rescuers dug through the remnants of 342 cities, towns, and villages demolished in the earthquake.· The two leaders promised to work to remove any remnants of Cold War hostility.
a very old object, custom etc that still exists an object, custom, idea etc that is left from long ago in the past and that most people think is very old-fashioned: · The treaty is now a Cold War relic.relic from: · The town is a relic from California's gold rush.relic of: · Voters passed a bill to remove a law that is a relic of the state's racist past.
especially British something that is left over from a time in the past: hangover from: · She knew that her feeling of awkwardness in social situations was a hangover from her schooldays· The company's debt is a hangover from its attempts to expand too rapidly.
to continue to be the same as before to continue to be the same as before: · The library stays open until 8pm on Fridays.· It will stay cold for the next few days.· They stayed friends after their divorce.· The details of her death have stayed a closely guarded secret.
written to continue to be the same as before: · She remained calm and waited till he had finished shouting at her.· Would the audience please remain seated.· The details of his death remain a closely guarded secret.remain the same: · His doctors say this his condition remains the same.
: keep quiet/awake/silent etc to continue to be awake, calm, quiet etc - use this especially to say someone has to make an effort to do this: · Paul managed to keep awake by drinking lots of strong black coffee.· Try to keep calm and let me know if anything changes.· We kept quiet and very still until the footsteps had passed.
to be the same as in the past, especially when you expected there might have been a change: · Inflation continues to be one of the government's main problems.· UN soldiers continue to be killed for nothing.· Peanut growing continues to be the main industry in Senegal.
use this to emphasize that something or someone has not changed and continues to be the same: · At the age of 50, Marlene was still a beautiful woman.· She still has that rusty old car.· I'm still confused. Would you explain it again?
to continue to be in the same place or situation to continue to exist or still be in the same place: · The car was abandoned in a field, and there it stayed until police towed it back.stay with: · He stayed with the company for over thirty years.· The memory of his father's death stayed with him all his life.
written to continue to exist or still be in the same place: · The computers remained in their boxes until enough money was found to buy the software needed to operate them.remain with: · Her unhappy face remained with me throughout the rest of my journey.· The picture remained with the artist's family for a number of years.
if a sight, smell, or taste lingers you can still see it, smell it, or taste it even after a long time: · Garlic has a taste which tends to linger in your mouth.· The faint smell of cigar smoke lingered on in the room.
use this to emphasize that someone or something still exists or is still in the same place, especially when this is unusual or surprising: · After two hours the dog was still there, just sitting and staring at our door.· Soloviov returned to the town where he was born after more than forty years and found his old house still standing.
not able to be predicted informal to be unable to say or predict what will happen: can't say/tell how/what/whether: · The doctors can't say whether he will recover at this stage.· I don't know if we'll stay together or not. I can't tell how I'll be feeling in a month's time.
something that is unpredictable is impossible to predict because the situation changes a lot and has no regular pattern: · Britain is well known for its unpredictable weather.· Mayoral elections are usually unpredictable, highly dependent on the particular appeal of personalities and the ability to form coalitions.highly unpredictable: · The situation in the region's poorest country remains volatile and highly unpredictable.
a situation or event, especially a bad one, that is unforeseeable could not have been predicted because it is the result of unusually bad luck: · What happened the following weekend was as unforeseeable as a plane falling on your house.· The circumstances which combined to cause this accident were unforeseeable.
use this to show that you are unable or unwilling to say what will happen, and so people have to wait and see: · "What is your next film going to be about?" "Well, that remains to be seen."· What remains to be seen now is whether it is too late to save the rainforests.it remains to be seen how/when/if etc: · It remains to be seen how many senior citizens will actually benefit from this new plan.
to stay in a place and not leave it · Stay where you are and don't move.· I'm coming too. I'm not staying here on my own.· Neighbors keep to themselves around here, they stay inside.stay with · He stayed with the baby until she fell asleep.stay (for) 3 hours/two days/a while etc · John only stayed at the party for a couple of hours.· Don't go so soon -- can't you stay just a little longer?stay for dinner/a drink/a game of cards etc · You're welcome to stay for lunch, you know.· Are you staying for a drink, or do you have to go?stay to dinner/tea etc · Mom always seated me next to him whenever he stayed to supper.stay to do something · Are you staying to watch the game?stay behind (=stay in a place after other people have left) · He stayed behind after class to ask the teacher a few questions.
formal to stay: · Some 2,000 students, lecturers and university workers remained inside, refusing to leave.· He was determined to remain out west until he had made his fortune.remain at/in: · The judge ruled that Borkin should remain in jail until his case is heard.· He had finished, but he remained at the microphone for a few minutes, gazing at the audience.remain with: · The children will remain with their mother.remain behind (=to stay in a place after other people have left): · The others were dismissed, but Harwood was asked to remain behind.
to stay in the same place and not try to move from there: · He won't stay put long enough for me to take his photo.· I've decided to stay put until after Christmas, but after that I want to start looking for a new apartment.
to stay in the same place and wait until a difficult or dangerous situation has ended before moving: · You sit tight while I go and get some help.
also stop in British informal to stay in your house and not go out, especially in the evening, instead of going out to enjoy yourself: · I've got to stay in and look after my sister on Friday night.· So, are you going out or stopping in tonight?
informal to stay in the same place for a short time, especially because you are waiting for someone, or expecting something to happen: · If you don't feel like sticking around here, we could find a place to get some coffee.stick around for ten minutes/a while etc: · Do you guys want to stick around for a while?
British informal to stay somewhere for a short time, especially at someone's house: · I'm not stopping, I've just popped in to pick up some books.stop for tea/a chat/a cup of coffee etc: · Why don't you stop for lunch -- there's loads of food.
to stay in the same job, school etc and not leave it to continue to stay in the same job, school etc and not leave it: · Do you think she'd stay if we offered her a raise?stay at/with: · I've stayed at the same company for seven years, and I'd like to stick around for a while longer.· I didn't want to stay with Jordan's all my life -- I wanted a real career, one with a future.stay (on) at school (=continue to go to school) British: · Most students stay at school until they are 16 or 17.stay in school American (=continue to go to school): · We're trying to persuade our daughter to stay in school for another year.stay in: · Alice has never stayed in the same job for more than a year.
to stay in a job, school etc for a longer time than you had planned, or after other people have left: · Alvin came here initially as a session musician, but he stayed on.· There was little encouragement for those over 65 to stay on after retirement.stay on at school/university/college etc: · He stayed on at college for an extra year to do a Master's degree.· Forty-four per cent of fifth formers now choose to stay on at school.stay on to do something: · He entered University College to study zoology and stayed on to work in genetics.
formal to stay in the same job, school etc and not leave it: remain at/in/with: · He's decided to remain in his present job for the time being.· Williams was offered $200,000 to remain with the Defense Department.remain as: · Sir Rocco Forte will remain as chief executive of the UK hotels company.
to stay in the same job, school etc, especially because you have to and not because you want to: · If you stay put, you'll be even more miserable in a year's time.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The boy remained silent. Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence. What remains of his original art collection is now in the city museum. There remained a few jobs still to be finished. The fact remains that racism is still a considerable problem.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES She begged me to change my mind, but I remained adamant. They worked hard, but tended to stay aloof from the local inhabitants. Initially, the President remained aloof from the campaign. According to one employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, the company engaged in illegal activities. I tried to stay calm and just ignore him. The seeds remain dormant until the spring. He remained faithful to his principles to the last. Only the medieval tower had remained intact. The army has remained loyal to the government. The details of his life remain obscure. You can’t stay on the sidelines for ever; it’s time you got involved. She kept silent, forcing Buchanan to continue. Police discovered the skeletal remains of a corpse buried near the river. I don’t know how we managed to remain solvent. Dr Faraday remained steadfast in his plea of innocence. The north remained largely unaffected by the drought. Many other questions remain unanswered. Doctors can make mistakes and diseases can remain undetected. The land is to be left undisturbed as a nature reserve. His dream of competing in the Olympics remained unfulfilled. The murderer’s identity remains unknown. Please remain vigilant at all times and report anything suspicious.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
The boy remained silent. Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence. What remains of his original art collection is now in the city museum. There remained a few jobs still to be finished. The fact remains that racism is still a considerable problem.· We try to keep the patients active by taking them for a daily walk.
She begged me to change my mind, but I remained adamant. They worked hard, but tended to stay aloof from the local inhabitants. Initially, the President remained aloof from the campaign. According to one employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, the company engaged in illegal activities.· I was tired and it was hard to stay awake.
I tried to stay calm and just ignore him.· The government remained committed to the treaty.
· Logging remains crucial to the country’s economy.
· The judge ruled that Marsh should remain in custody until his sentence.
The seeds remain dormant until the spring. He remained faithful to his principles to the last.· We have all remained friends despite some difficult times.
(=the body of someone who has died)· The police found human remains in the basement.
Only the medieval tower had remained intact.· The fees are likely to remain at current levels.
The army has remained loyal to the government. (=be remembered for a long time)· That day will remain in my memory forever.
· What caused the accident remains a mystery.
The details of his life remain obscure.· War remains a possibility.
You can’t stay on the sidelines for ever; it’s time you got involved. She kept silent, forcing Buchanan to continue. Police discovered the skeletal remains of a corpse buried near the river. I don’t know how we managed to remain solvent. Dr Faraday remained steadfast in his plea of innocence.· A recent poll showed his approval rating holding steady at 53 percent.
· After the election, political tension remains high.
The north remained largely unaffected by the drought. Many other questions remain unanswered.· Most people remained largely unaware of the change to the law.
Doctors can make mistakes and diseases can remain undetected. The land is to be left undisturbed as a nature reserve. His dream of competing in the Olympics remained unfulfilled. The murderer’s identity remains unknown. Please remain vigilant at all times and report anything suspicious.· This comparison is possible because the list size remained largely unchanged over the two year study.· The army, on the other hand, has remained largely neutral in the unprecedented fight to force democratic reform from Milosevic.· However, as no votes have been recorded at these junctures the arithmetic straitjacket has remained largely hidden.· But as an institution, Congress remains largely detached from foreign affairs.· The mortality has remained largely unchanged over the decades despite greater public awareness and better diagnostic facilities.· Derrick Smith, remains largely unknown even on this Marine Corps base where he is stationed.· It is important to bear in mind that these financial consequences have, until very recently, remained largely hidden.· Piazza Duomo suffered terribly, although the cathedral itself remained largely intact.
· Nevertheless, even allowing for all the frailties of palaeontologists, there still remains a remarkable picture of palaeontological persistence.· Remnants of the letter still remain on the mountain, which juts from Mission Trails Regional Park.· Giving priority to developmental work was appropriate in the circumstances of Nottinghamshire in the mid-eighties and still remains so in many respects.· However, minorities still remain underrepresented among physicians, they wrote.· There still remains the problem of cause and effect.· The focus still remains to be made real.· I detect that some doubts still remain.
· He remained there for the start of the 1985-86 campaign, but returned to Arsenal to make 27 first-team appearances.· Edwin was the only one in the family who felt at home in Los Angeles and remained there.· Even so there remain causes for concern in the Labour camp.· However, he feels he is required to remain there because he can not live on his own without a car.· The Conservative party was returned to office in 1951 and was to remain there until 1964.· There remains one further complication, greater than all the rest.· And yet there remains the fact, noted at the outset, that the Act applies to violence and violent threats in private.· They remained there until they retired to Florida in 1973.
NOUN· The fact remains that because of election by constituency quota the odds are heavily against fair representation for a small party.· But the fact remains that Bush's gains are ill-gotten.· Still, the fact remains that Tolkien did produce a narrative of entrelacement.· For the fact remains that none of this is possible.· The fact remains that any legal regime which lowers the economic incentive for drugs-crime will surely boost drug consumption.· The fact remains, Snapple has foundered.· The fact remains that Hera turned Callisto into a bear.
· How much Crédit Lyonnais is owed by Pathe remains a mystery.· The culprits remained a mystery yesterday.· The extent to which Burn, or before him Salvin, was responsible for these remains an unresolved mystery.· It remains a mystery whether Yeltsin knew about it and was deliberately obfuscating.· That remains a mystery to him.· But the vehemence of their hatred remains something of a mystery.· But the president remains a mystery.· And yet his emotional life remains a mystery to him.
· But even if the proposals prove sufficiently acceptable, important questions of principle will remain unresolved.· The question then remains: why did the Aristarchian system fail?· The question remains: What do we put in its place?· Instead of asking questions, people remain silent.· A question which remained obstinately hovering in her mind as she slowly slipped into a deep sleep.· And the big question remains: Why these specific novels?· Having discarded as inadequate our orthodox rationalisations for meat's culinary centrality, the question remained: why is it so important?· Who he was, where he had come from, why he was there-all these questions remained unanswered.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► somebody’s mortal remains
- "What is your next film going to be about?'' "Well, that remains to be seen.''
- It remains to be seen how many senior citizens will actually benefit from this new plan.
- What remains to be seen now is whether it is too late to save the rainforests.
- Whether the team can sustain its winning streak remains to be seen.
- And it remains to be seen if re- signing Greg Vaughn will be a hit or a miss.
- But it remains to be seen whether that will prove a significant omission.
- But it remains to be seen whether this will exacerbate chronic unemployment or solve it.
- Steel will make it remains to be seen.
- The meaning of prevention in the new Children Act is multifaceted and it remains to be seen how it will be operationalized.
- Today it remains to be seen whether Museveni's essentially centralist approach will be more successful than its predecessors.
- Whether I reach it remains to be seen!
- Yet it remains to be seen how strong are the forces of Euro-scepticism in Labour's own ranks.
- I know Benson has a Ph.D., but the fact remains that he has no practical experience.
- The fact remains that without raising taxes we won't be able to pay for any of these programs.
- But the fact remains that the safeguards themselves do not prevent the government using civil plutonium for defence purposes.
- But the fact remains that we are limited to inferring what the experiences of other brains are like from our own case.
- But the fact remains that Wolf and the tendency Wolf represented made an inward-looking discipline possible and, ultimately, respectable.
- But the fact remains: Corn is an inherent ingredient in our traditional larder.
- But, the fact remains that they are.
- Nevertheless, the fact remains that the extent to which they are genuinely accountable locally is entirely within their own discretion.
- None the less the fact remains that the presence of descent groups tells us nothing directly about domestic organization.
- Still, the fact remains that Tolkien did produce a narrative of entrelacement.
- My Lover For I will consider my lover, who shall remain nameless.
- Alas, there is no space to give a proper account of the thoughts of these great minds.
- Capital market theory implies that, for index futures, there is a risk premium.
- Each side then loses something if there is an attempt to meet at a mid-point.
- If you do manage to get him to go, there is drug treatment that could help.
- In forecasting the future there is no certainty.
- On one of them, Longstone Island, there is a lighthouse.
- This is a great loss, because at root there is an integral relation between the ideas of crime and morality.
- We have also noted that there is in practice little inter-observer variation in the scoring of verbal responses in these patients.
WORD FAMILYnounthe remainderremainderremainsadjectiveremainingverbremain
1[intransitive always + adverb/preposition, linking verb] to continue to be in the same state or condition: Please remain seated until all the lights are on. We remained friends. The boy remained silent.remain as Despite the job losses, Parker remained as manager.remain unclear/unchanged/unanswered etc Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say something or someone stays in a particular state, condition, or place, rather than remains in it:· We stayed friends.GRAMMAR: Linking verbsRemain is a linking verb in this meaning. This type of verb links the subject of the sentence with an adjective or noun: · He remains undecided about what to do.· Traffic congestion remains a problem.2[intransitive] formal to stay in the same place without moving away SYN stayremain at/in/with etc She was too ill to remain at home. The refugees were allowed to remain in the UK.► see thesaurus at stay3[intransitive] to continue to exist or be left after others have gone, been used, or been destroyed: Little of the original building remains. The score is tied, with fifteen minutes remaining. What remains of his original art collection is now in the city museum.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that something is left rather than remains.· Not much of the old town is left.4[intransitive] to be left after other things have been dealt withremain to be done Several points remain to be settled. There remained a few jobs still to be finished. The fact remains that racism is still a considerable problem.5it remains to be seen used to say that it is still uncertain whether something will happen or is true: It remains to be seen whether the operation was successful.