Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To continue in the same state or condition.
  • intransitive verb To continue to be in the same place; stay or stay behind.
  • intransitive verb To be left after the removal, loss, passage, or destruction of others: synonym: stay.
  • intransitive verb To be left as still to be dealt with.
  • intransitive verb To endure or persist.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To continue in a place; stay; abide; dwell.
  • To continue without change as to some form, state, or quality specified: as, to remain active in business; to remain a widow.
  • To endure; continue; last.
  • To stay behind after others have gone; be left after a part, quantity, or number has been taken away or destroyed.
  • To be left as not included or comprised; be held in reserve; be still to be dealt with: formerly followed in some instances by a dative.
  • Synonyms To wait, tarry, rest, sojourn.
  • To keep.
  • noun The state of remaining; stay; abode.
  • noun That which is left to be done.
  • noun That which is left; remainder; relic: used chiefly in the plural.
  • noun Specifically plural That which is left of a human being after life is gone; a dead body; a corpse.
  • noun plural The productions, especially the literary works, of one who is dead; posthumous works: as, “Coleridge's Literary Remains.
  • noun Synonyms Scraps, fragments.
  • noun 3–5, See relic.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete State of remaining; stay.
  • noun That which is left; relic; remainder; -- chiefly in the plural.
  • noun That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
  • noun The posthumous works or productions, esp. literary works, of one who is dead; as, Cecil's.
  • intransitive verb To stay behind while others withdraw; to be left after others have been removed or destroyed; to be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
  • intransitive verb To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.
  • transitive verb Archaic To await; to be left to.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun State of remaining; stay.
  • noun That which is left; relic; remainder; -- chiefly in the plural.
  • noun remains: That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
  • noun The posthumous works or productions, especially literary works of one who is dead.
  • verb To stay behind while others withdraw; to be left after others have been removed or destroyed; to be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
  • verb To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.
  • verb To await; to be left to.
  • verb copulative To continue in a state of being.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence, etc.
  • verb continue in a place, position, or situation
  • verb stay the same; remain in a certain state
  • verb stay behind

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English remainen, from Old French remanoir, remainer, from Latin remanēre : re-, re- + manēre, to remain; see men- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English remainen, from Old French remain-, stressed stem of remanoir, from Latin remaneō, maneō, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stay”).

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Examples

  • I will remain _if_ (_give_ or _grant that fact_) he will (_remain_.) _But_ comes from the Saxon verb _beon-utan_, to be-out.

    English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Samuel Kirkham

  • String remain = showTextPane. getText (); showTextPane. setText (remain+ "您说: \r" +SendInfo+ "\r");

    BlogJava-首页技术区 一指天 2009

  • Letting his name remain on the list of Virginia delegates was one thing; going to Philadelphia was another.

    Ratification Pauline Maier 2010

  • Letting his name remain on the list of Virginia delegates was one thing; going to Philadelphia was another.

    Ratification Pauline Maier 2010

  • Letting his name remain on the list of Virginia delegates was one thing; going to Philadelphia was another.

    Ratification Pauline Maier 2010

  • Should our definition of the term remain purely religious?

    2008 June « shattersnipe: malcontent & rainbows 2008

  • Should our definition of the term remain purely religious?

    2008 June 28 « shattersnipe: malcontent & rainbows 2008

  • Should our definition of the term remain purely religious?

    Marrying For What? « shattersnipe: malcontent & rainbows 2008

  • I had every intention of being the sole artist on "The Boys" but reality dictates otherwise, and I'd rather see the title remain steady than the pressure of issues being late because of me.

    Comic Book Resources 2010

  • I had every intention of being the sole artist on "The Boys" but reality dictates otherwise, and I'd rather see the title remain steady than the pressure of issues being late because of me.

    Comic Book Resources 2010

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