remainsnoun [ plural ]
uk/rɪˈmeɪnz/us/rɪˈmeɪnz/B2 pieces or parts of something that continue to exist when most of it has been used, destroyed, or taken away:
The remains of lunch were still on the table.
We visited the remains of a 12th century monastery.
human/sb's remains formal
someone's dead body or the remaining parts of it:
50 years after he died, his remains were returned to his homeland.
Human remains were found in the woods.
More examples
- The remains of the Roman fort are well preserved.
- Early human remains were found in the Dordogne region of France.
- Building at the site was halted after human remains were unearthed earlier this month.
- The remains of some Roman earthenware vessels were found during the dig.
- His remains can now be given a proper burial.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Things remaining
- (and) all the rest idiom
- balance
- bastion
- cutpiece
- deposit
- dregs
- for the rest idiom
- ground
- hangover
- relic
- remainder
- remnant
- residual
- residue
- rest
- the shirt off sb's back idiom
- throwback
- time capsule
- vestige
- wreckage
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Death and dying