Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense remains, present participle remaining, past tense, past participle remained
1. link verb
If someone or something remains in a particular state or condition, they stay in that state or condition and do notchange.
The three men remained silent. [VERB adjective]
The situation remains tense. [VERB adjective]
The government remained in control. [VERB preposition]
He remained a formidable opponent. [VERB noun]
It remains possible that bad weather could tear more holes in the tanker's hull. [VERB adjective]
[Also itV n that]
Synonyms: stay, continue, go on, stand More Synonyms of remain
2. verb
If you remain in a place, you stay there and do not move away.
He will have to remain in hospital for at least 10 days. [VERB preposition]
From time to time, James remained at home with his family. [VERB preposition]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: stay behind, wait, delay, stay put More Synonyms of remain
3. verb
You can say that something remains when it still exists.
Many of the differences in everyday life remain. [VERB]
The wider problem remains. [VERB]
There remains deep mistrust of his government. [thereV n]
Synonyms: continue, be left, endure, persist More Synonyms of remain
4. link verb
If something remainsto be done, it has not yet been done and still needs to be done.
Major questions remain to be answered about his work.
Huge amounts of weapons remain to be collected. [V to-inf-passive]
5. plural noun
Theremainsof something are the parts of it that are left after most of it has been taken awayor destroyed.
They were tidying up the remains of their picnic. [+ of]
...the charred remains of a tank.
...the remains of an ancient mosque.
6. plural noun
The remains of a person or animal are the parts of their body that are left after they have died, sometimes after they have been dead for a long time.
The unrecognizable remains of a man had been found. [+ of]
More human remains have been unearthed in the north of the country.
7. plural noun
Historical remains are things that have been found from an earlier period of history, usually buried in the ground, for example parts of buildings and pieces of pottery.
There are Roman remains all around us.
8. link verb
You can use remain in expressions such as the fact remains that or the question remains whether to introduce and emphasize something that you want to talk about.
The fact remains that inflation is unacceptably high. [VERB that]
The question remains whether he was fully aware of the claims. [VERB wh]
9. See also remaining
10.
See remains to be seen
remain in British English
(rɪˈmeɪn)
verb(mainly intr)
1.
to stay behind or in the same place
to remain at home
only Tom remained
2. (copula)
to continue to be
to remain cheerful
3.
to be left, as after use, consumption, the passage of time, etc
a little wine still remained in the bottle
4.
to be left to be done, said, etc
it remains to be pointed out
Word origin
C14: from Old French remanoir, from Latin remanēre to be left, from re- + manēre to stay
remain in American English
(rɪˈmeɪn)
verb intransitive
1.
to be left or left over when the rest has been taken away, destroyed, or disposed of in some way
2.
a.
to stay while others go
b.
to stay in the same place
remain in the house
3.
to continue; go on being
to remain a cynic
4.
to continue to exist; endure; persist; last
a remaining memory
5.
to be left to be dealt with, done, said, etc.
SIMILAR WORDS: stay
Word origin
ME remainen < OFr remaindre < L remanere < re-, back, behind + manere, to stay: see manor
Examples of 'remain' in a sentence
remain
But all that remains from these ancient humans are fossils and stone tools.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Yet security around this technology remains a concern.
Computing (2010)
Often the quality of the remaining time will be diminished by the treatments themselves.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These are questions that remain and to which we will not have an answer.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The worst that can happen is she remains dead.
The Sun (2016)
Our door remains fully open to the union and so we hope we can sit down and resolve this matter.
Computing (2010)
The only explanation seems to be there must have been a white gene in my family that has remained dormant for years.
The Sun (2017)
So long as costs remain under control and debt does not grow too fast this remains one of the best retailers to own.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet the country remains divided.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
She said:'Our study shows the rest of their body may remain equally youthful.
The Sun (2016)
Since then his body has remained on the boat.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
As a result of their simmering poverty their wardrobes would remain full of ancient clothes.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But most of the shutters on the numerous holiday apartments dotted around the village remain firmly closed.
The Sun (2008)
Yet combining a career with a family remains hard.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What if local governments remain unresponsive to the poor?
Tomlinson, Richard Urbanization in Post-Apartheid South Africa (1990)
This costs about half as much as remaining fully staffed.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There are some questions that will remain unanswered.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She was left for dead and remained in a coma for two weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This country remains our hub and will be our base for future growth.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Only the most resistant blocks remain behind.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
Then only two places remain in the back row.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The party animal had remained in his cage.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Use the remaining time to perfect your bacon sandwich technique.
The Sun (2011)
Many remain in prison or end up sleeping rough.
The Sun (2013)
They still remain as my mother and father in my internal life.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The week was littered with evidence that conditions remain tough.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
My body and mind remained uniquely unresponsive to hours of running.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The remaining areas for controlling debtors are all to do with the timely payment of invoices.
Harrison, John Finance for the Non-Financial Manager (1989)
Archaeology is that branch of anthropology that is concerned with the remains of ancient societies.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
The vendors are careful about who they sell to because their family name remains above the door.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He would practically need to cart the tattered remains around in a wheelchair after high days and holidays.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Two facts remained unexplained last night.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It was a revolutionary idea when the Trust was founded and it remains incredibly democratic.
The Sun (2011)
In other languages
remain
British English: remain /rɪˈmeɪn/ VERB
To remain in a particular state means to stay in that state and not change.
The three men remained silent.
American English: remain
Arabic: يَبْقى
Brazilian Portuguese: permanecer
Chinese: 保持
Croatian: ostati
Czech: zůstat
Danish: forblive
Dutch: blijven
European Spanish: quedarse
Finnish: jäädä
French: rester
German: verbleiben
Greek: παραμένω
Italian: rimanere
Japanese: ･･･のままである
Korean: 남아 있다
Norwegian: gjenstå
Polish: pozostać
European Portuguese: permanecer
Romanian: a se menține
Russian: оставаться
Latin American Spanish: quedarse
Swedish: stanna kvar
Thai: คงอยู่
Turkish: kalmak
Ukrainian: залишатися
Vietnamese: duy trì
All related terms of 'remain'
remain secret
If something is secret , it is known about by only a small number of people, and is not told or shown to anyone else.
remain a favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
remain an issue
An issue is an important subject that people are arguing about or discussing .
remain a priority
If something is a priority , it is the most important thing you have to do or deal with, or must be done or dealt with before everything else you have to do.
remain a possibility
If you say there is a possibility that something is the case or that something will happen , you mean that it might be the case or it might happen.
Chinese translation of 'remain'
remain
(rɪˈmeɪn)
vi
(= continue to be) 仍然是 (réngrán shì)
(= stay) 逗留 (dòuliú)
(= survive) 遗(遺)留 (yíliú)
to remain silent/in control保持沉默/仍然控制局面 (bǎochí chénmò/réngrán kòngzhì júmiàn)
much remains to be done还(還)有许(許)多事情要做 (hái yǒu xǔduō shìqing yào zuò)
the fact remains that ... 事实(實)上情况(況)是 ... (shìshí shang qíngkuàng shì ... )
it remains to be seen whether ... 是否 ... ，以后(後)可见(見)分晓(曉) (shìfǒu ... , yǐhòu kě jiàn fēnxiǎo)
All related terms of 'remain'
to remain neutral
保持中立 bǎochí zhōnglì
to remain static
( numbers, prices etc ) 保持稳(穩)定 bǎochí wěndìng
to remain upright
保持直立 bǎochí zhílì
to remain anonymous
不留名的 bù liúmíng de
to remain separate from
保持与(與) ... 分离(離) bǎochí yǔ ... fēnlí
to be/remain loyal to sb
对(對)某人保持忠诚(誠) duì mǒurén bǎochí zhōngchéng
to remain silent/in control
保持沉默/仍然控制局面 bǎochí chénmò/réngrán kòngzhì júmiàn
to be/remain silent about sth
对(對)某事守口如瓶 duì mǒushì shǒu kǒu rú píng
1 (verb)
Definition
to continue to be
The three men remained silent.
Synonyms
stay
Hundreds of people defied army orders to stay at home.
continue
go on
the necessity for the war to go on
stand
The supreme court says the convictions still stand.
dwell (formal, literary)
He dwells in the mountains.
bide
2 (verb)
Definition
to stay behind or in the same place
He remained at home with his family.
Synonyms
stay behind
wait
I waited at the corner for the lights to go green.
delay
If he delayed any longer, the sun would be up.
stay put
tarry
Two old boys tarried on the street corner discussing cattle.
Opposites
go
,
leave
,
depart
3 (verb)
Definition
to continue to be
There remains deep mistrust of his government.
Synonyms
continue
For ten days I continued in this state.
He had hoped to continue as a full-time career officer.
be left
endure
Somehow the language endures and continues to survive to this day.
persist
Consult your doctor if the symptoms persist.
linger
The guilty feelings lingered.
hang in the air
stay
Nothing stays the same for long.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of delay
Definition
to deliberately take longer than necessary to do something
If he delayed any longer, the sun would be up.
Synonyms
linger,
lag,
loiter,
dawdle,
tarry,
dilly-dally (informal),
drag your feet or heels (informal)
in the sense of dwell
Definition
to live as a permanent resident
He dwells in the mountains.
Synonyms
live,
stay,
reside (formal),
rest,
quarter,
settle,
lodge,
abide,
hang out (informal),
sojourn,
establish yourself
in the sense of endure
Definition
to last for a long time
Somehow the language endures and continues to survive to this day.
Synonyms
last,
live,
continue,
remain,
stay,
hold,
stand,
go on,
survive,
live on,
prevail,
persist,
abide,
be durable,
wear well
Synonyms of 'remain'
remain
Explore 'remain' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of go on
Definition
to continue or proceed
the necessity for the war to go on
Synonyms
continue,
last,
stay,
proceed,
carry on,
keep going
in the sense of linger
The guilty feelings lingered.
Synonyms
continue,
last,
remain,
stay,
carry on,
endure,
persist,
abide
in the sense of persist
Definition
to continue without interruption
Consult your doctor if the symptoms persist.
Synonyms
continue,
last,
remain,
carry on,
endure,
keep up,
linger,
abide
in the sense of stand
Definition
to remain unchanged or valid
The supreme court says the convictions still stand.
Synonyms
be valid,
apply,
be in force,
hold good,
continue,
stay,
exist,
prevail,
remain valid,
remain effective,
remain in operation
in the sense of tarry
Definition
to delay or linger
Two old boys tarried on the street corner discussing cattle.
Synonyms
linger,
remain,
loiter,
wait,
delay,
pause,
hang around (informal),
lose time,
bide,
dally,
take your time,
dawdle,
drag your feet or heels
in the sense of wait
Definition
to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation of something
I waited at the corner for the lights to go green.