remains

remains — noun

1. what is physically left of an object or substance after the larger portion has b

1.nounB1
Definition

what is physically left of an object or substance after the larger portion has been consumed, worn out, or broken apart

Example

Christopher scraped the remains of the burnt toast into the kitchen bin.

the remains of [something] — concrete object after use/destruction

The remains of the old stone wall mark the edge of the farm.

Common collocations
  • the remains of a meal/dinner/lunch
  • the remains of a building/castle/wall
  • the remains of a fire
  • scrape/throw away the remains
  • the charred/burnt remains
Synonyms
  • leftovers

    informal, mainly used for food; 'remains' is broader and can apply to any material

  • remnants

    slightly more formal; suggests small, scattered pieces rather than a larger leftover mass

  • residue

    uncountable, usually a thin layer or trace left behind after a process

Grammar Patterns

the remains of [something]

possessive + remains

Usage Note

Always used in the plural form. There is no singular noun 'a remain'. Use 'the remains' with a plural verb — for example, 'The remains of the ship are still underwater'. This sense often appears with 'of' to specify what the parts originally belonged to.

Common Mistakes

The remain of the cake was on the table.
The remains of the cake were on the table.
'Remains' is always plural. There is no singular form for this meaning.

2. a person's or animal's physical body after death, especially in formal, respectf

2.nounB2
Definition

a person's or animal's physical body after death, especially in formal, respectful, or scientific contexts

Example

The remains of the missing climber were found on the mountain last spring.

the remains of [person] — formal reference to a dead body

Scientists carefully examined the skeletal remains of a young woman.

skeletal remains — scientific register

Common collocations
  • human remains
  • skeletal/mummified/burnt remains
  • discover/find/uncover remains
  • identify/examine/bury remains
  • the remains of the victim/soldier
Synonyms
  • corpse

    more direct and less formal; used for a recently dead body, often in crime or medical contexts

  • body

    neutral and common; 'remains' is preferred in formal or respectful contexts

  • carcass

    used only for animals, not people

Grammar Patterns

possessive + remains

human/animal remains

skeletal/mummified remains

Usage Note

This sense is more formal or respectful than 'corpse' or 'dead body'. It is common in news reports, official statements, and scientific writing. 'Remains' is often modified by adjectives describing the state of the body, such as 'skeletal remains', 'mummified remains', or 'burnt remains'.

Common Mistakes

The criminal hid the remain in the forest.
The criminal hid the remains in the forest.
'Remains' is always a plural noun, even when referring to a single dead body.

3. buildings, everyday objects, or natural traces that have lasted from an earlier

3.nounB2
Definition

buildings, everyday objects, or natural traces that have lasted from an earlier period — especially ancient times — and are usually brought to light through excavation or research

Example

The museum displays Roman remains including pottery, tools, and coins.

Roman remains — materials from a specific ancient culture

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a Viking settlement in Norway.

Common collocations
  • Roman/prehistoric/ancient remains
  • archaeological remains
  • fossilised/skeletal remains
  • uncover/discover/excavate remains
  • the remains of a settlement/temple/village
Synonyms
  • ruins

    specifically for destroyed buildings or settlements; 'remains' is broader and includes small objects too

  • artifacts

    only for man-made objects, not natural traces or fossils

  • fossils

    specifically for prehistoric plants and animals preserved in rock

Grammar Patterns

the remains of [ancient place/object]

prehistoric/Roman/Viking remains

fossilised remains

Usage Note

Commonly appears in archaeology and history contexts. Unlike sense 1, this sense refers specifically to material evidence from earlier historical periods. It can describe both large structures (temples, settlements) and small objects (tools, coins). Often paired with adjectives naming a period or culture: 'prehistoric remains', 'Roman remains', 'Viking remains'.

Common Mistakes

The museum has an interesting remain from ancient Egypt.
The museum has interesting remains from ancient Egypt.
Even when the objects form a collection, 'remains' stays plural.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all refer to what is left after something has been used, but they differ in what they describe and how they are used. 'Leftovers' is the most concrete and everyday term — it almost always means uneaten food ('We ate the leftovers for dinner'). 'Remnants' suggests small, scattered pieces rather than a whole leftover mass, and it is more common in formal or literary writing ('the remnants of the torn flag'). 'Residue' is uncountable and refers to a thin layer or trace that remains after a process — often chemical or physical ('a sticky residue on the glass'). 'Remainder' is a mathematical or abstract term for the portion that is left over after a calculation or after most of something has been dealt with ('the remainder of the year'). In contrast, 'remains' (plural noun) covers all of these fields but is most naturally used for physical objects — leftovers of a meal, ruins of a building, or fragments of a destroyed object.

leftoversremnantsresidue ↗remainder ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the remains of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The noun 'remains' comes from the verb 'remain', which entered English through Old French 'remaindre' from Latin 'remanēre' — formed from 're-' (meaning 'back, again') and 'manēre' (meaning 'to stay'). So the word originally meant 'what stays behind'. The plural noun form began to be used in the 15th century to describe leftover physical parts, and by the 17th century it was also applied to dead bodies and surviving traces of the past.