remained; remaining; remains
1
a
: to be a part not destroyed, taken, or used up
only a few ruins remain
b
: to be something yet to be shown, done, or treated
it remains to be seen
2
: to stay in the same place or with the same person or group
especially
: to stay behind
3
: to continue unchanged
the fact remains that we can't go
Synonyms
Examples of remain in a Sentence
Verb
Little remained after the fire.
Only two minutes still remain in the game.
The question remains: who fired the shot?
She remained in Boston after she finished college.
The soldiers were ordered to remain at their posts.
I remained behind after the class had ended.
He remained with the team.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
The circumstances behind the shooting and how detectives zeroed in on Vasquez and Diaz remained unclear Thursday.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The Heat squandered a chance to remain sixth in the East and further distance itself from No. 8 Philadelphia.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
That’s a way to remain alive, to be in those pure emotions.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
While Congress has made the law more restrictive or less restrictive at various times, federal—rather than state-level—control has remained consistent.
—TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
More than 130 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 during its rampage in southern Israel remain held in Gaza.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The teen remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Some questions may be adapted into full columns, and transcripts of the chats remain available after each session concludes.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The remains were identified as Derrick U. Collins, who went missing in June 2022, according to police.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
In 1992, attempts were made to identify the remains by comparing them to missing persons cases, but there were no matches.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
And scientists at times have mistakenly identified the ancient remains of other similar-sized wild birds like pheasants or geese as chickens instead.
—Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
When his remains were found in 2001, Othram said some personal items, including clothing and a pair of black, wire-rim glasses, were with him.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
When skeletal remains surfaced in Bellaghy bog in 2023, the discovery was shaded with a discomforting question: Was this an archaeological site, or a crime scene?
—Ed O’Loughlin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Heretofore, authorities’ principal efforts at the site appeared involved with clearing the wreckage as well as searching for the remains of those workers still missing and presumed dead.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Now, researchers have taken remains excavated from Harewood in 1999 and used new DNA analysis techniques to identify two of Samuel’s grandsons and their mother.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
Verb
What is clear is that, far from remaining aloof from gritty social realities, Whistler loved making pictures of street life, building facades and stores.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
The circumstances behind the shooting and how detectives zeroed in on Vasquez and Diaz remained unclear Thursday.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The Heat squandered a chance to remain sixth in the East and further distance itself from No. 8 Philadelphia.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
That’s a way to remain alive, to be in those pure emotions.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
While Congress has made the law more restrictive or less restrictive at various times, federal—rather than state-level—control has remained consistent.
—TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
More than 130 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 during its rampage in southern Israel remain held in Gaza.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The teen remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Some questions may be adapted into full columns, and transcripts of the chats remain available after each session concludes.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
But attempts to identify the remains resumed in April 2022 and a new DNA sample was taken.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The remains were identified as Derrick U. Collins, who went missing in June 2022, according to police.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
In 1992, attempts were made to identify the remains by comparing them to missing persons cases, but there were no matches.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
And scientists at times have mistakenly identified the ancient remains of other similar-sized wild birds like pheasants or geese as chickens instead.
—Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
When his remains were found in 2001, Othram said some personal items, including clothing and a pair of black, wire-rim glasses, were with him.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
When skeletal remains surfaced in Bellaghy bog in 2023, the discovery was shaded with a discomforting question: Was this an archaeological site, or a crime scene?
—Ed O’Loughlin, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Heretofore, authorities’ principal efforts at the site appeared involved with clearing the wreckage as well as searching for the remains of those workers still missing and presumed dead.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Now, researchers have taken remains excavated from Harewood in 1999 and used new DNA analysis techniques to identify two of Samuel’s grandsons and their mother.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'remain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Remain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remain. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
remain
1 of 2 verb
re·main
ri-ˈmān 
1
a
: to be a part not destroyed, taken, or used up
little remained after the fire
b
: to be something yet to be shown, done, or treated
that remains to be seen
2
: to stay in the same place or with the same person or group
especially
: to stay behind
3
: to continue unchanged
the weather remained cold
remain
2 of 2 noun1
: whatever is left over or behind
—usually used in plural
the remains of a meal
2
plural
: a dead body
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