Meaning & use
remainder
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Meanings
nounsingular
The part that is left after the other parts have been used, taken away or dealt with.
Grammar: Takes the: the remainder of the day.
Patterns
- the remainder of something
She spent the remainder of the afternoon reading.
He paid half now and the remainder next month.
The remainder of the cake went to the neighbors.
nouncountablemathematics
In arithmetic, the amount left over when one number does not divide exactly into another.
Grammar: Used with by: a remainder of 2.
Patterns
- a remainder of number
Seventeen divided by five gives three with a remainder of two.
The remainder was zero, so the numbers divided evenly.
Students must write the remainder after the answer.
nouncountablespecialist
A copy of a book that is sold cheaply because the publisher has not sold it at full price.
Grammar: Usually plural: remainders.
Patterns
- buy remainders
The shop sold remainders at a fraction of the cover price.
He found a stack of art book remainders.
Word forms
| plural | remainders |
|---|
Common combinations
- the remainder of the day
- We stayed home for the remainder of the day.
- the remainder of his life
- He lived abroad for the remainder of his life.
- pay the remainder
- You can pay the remainder on delivery.
- with a remainder
- Eleven divided by four leaves a remainder of three.
- the remainder of the money
- They donated the remainder of the money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rest
- Rest is the casual, everyday word, while remainder is slightly more formal and precise.
- balance
- Balance is used for money still owed or held, and remainder is wider.
- leftovers
- Leftovers refers to food or things not used, whereas remainder can describe time or amounts.
- residue
- Residue is a small trace left after a process, and remainder is a larger leftover share.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: remainder or reminder?
remainder vs reminder
A reminder helps you remember something; a remainder is what is left.
Practice
When 14 is divided by 4, the ___ is 2.
Choose one answer.
The remainder is the amount left over (14 = 3x4 + 2). The quotient is 3, a reminder is a prompt, and a remnant is a leftover piece of cloth or similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “remainder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.