What does remain mean?
Remain means to stay, continue, or persist in a particular place, condition, or situation. It is useful when the important point is that something has not changed or has continued despite circumstances that might have ended it: a person may remain calm, a problem may remain unresolved, or a building may remain in use for many years. The word is formal but common in British and American English and appears in public notices, legal and academic writing, journalism, and everyday conversation. Its related noun, remainder, refers to the part that is left after something is removed or used. Remain can also describe what is left behind: after a long journey, only the memory of the road remained. Overall, the word conveys persistence and continuity, often with a sense of endurance or an emphasis on an unchanged state.
verbTo stay, continue in the same place, state, or condition. It can also mean to continue to exist or be left after something else has changed or ended.
- To stay or continue in the same place, state, or condition.
- To continue to exist, especially after something else has ended or changed.
- To be left after a subtraction, removal, or other process.
"Despite the difficult conditions, the team remained calm and continued working toward its goal."
"Please remain seated until the announcement is finished."
"The old stone walls remain, even though the building around them has changed."
Remain comes from the Latin remanere, literally “to stay back,” and still carries its central idea: staying when change or departure might be expected.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of remain
Remain comes through Old French from Latin remanere, formed from re- “back” and manere “to stay.” The original sense developed from the idea of staying back or being left behind. Latin roots related to manere also appear in words such as remnant and remanent, while English developed remainder directly from remain with the suffix -er.
Related word forms
How remain is actually used
Remain is formal but widely used in both British and American English. It is especially appropriate when emphasizing that someone or something continues in a particular place, condition, or situation. In formal writing, it can be followed by a past participle, as in “She remained silent,” or by an adjective or prepositional phrase.
Easily confused with remain
To remain means to stay or continue, whereas to reminisce means to recall and talk about past experiences.
Remain is a verb meaning to stay or continue, while remainder is a noun referring to what is left over.