Meaning & use
remained
Last updated
“remained” is a form of “remain”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Past form of remain meaning stayed in the same place or position and did not leave.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by a place: she remained in the room.
Patterns
- remained in somewhere
- remained at somewhere
Everyone else left, but Tom remained at his desk.
The family remained in the village for years.
She remained behind to lock up.
verblinking
Past form of remain meaning continued to be in a given state or condition without changing.
Grammar: Links the subject to an adjective or noun: he remained calm.
Patterns
- remained calm
- remained a mystery
Despite the noise, the baby remained fast asleep.
The cause of the fire remained unknown.
They remained friends long after college.
verbintransitive
Past form of remain meaning was still left over after other parts had gone, been used or been removed.
Grammar: No object; the thing left is the subject: only two seats remained.
Patterns
- something remained
After the storm, only one wall remained.
A few cookies remained on the plate.
Little remained of the old town after the flood.
Word forms
| base form | remain |
|---|---|
| third person singular | remains |
| -ing form | remaining |
Common combinations
- remained silent
- The witness remained silent during the trial.
- remained unchanged
- The price remained unchanged all year.
- remained in place
- The old rules remained in place.
- remained calm
- The pilot remained calm throughout.
- remained a mystery
- Her real motive remained a mystery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stayed
- Stayed is more casual and works well for places, while remained is a little more formal.
- lingered
- Lingered suggests staying on slowly or reluctantly, while remained is neutral.
- persisted
- Persisted is used for things that continue despite difficulty, such as a problem or cough.
- survived
- Survived stresses getting through danger, while remained simply says something was left.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: remained or remind?
remained vs remind
Remind means to help someone remember; remain means to stay.
Practice
Although the room was crowded, the speaker ______ calm.
Choose one answer.
Remained works as a linking verb before the adjective calm. Reminded and removed need an object, and remainder is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “remained”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.