Meaning & use
remaining
Last updated
UK/rɪˈmeɪ.nɪŋ/
US/rɪˈmeɪ.nɪŋ/
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Still left after others have gone, been used or been dealt with.
Grammar: Goes before the noun: the remaining guests, not 'the guests remaining' in most uses.
Patterns
- the remaining something
- the remaining few
The remaining guests helped clear the tables.
Please use the remaining time to check your answers.
Only three remaining tickets were for sale.
Common combinations
- remaining time
- Use the remaining time to review.
- remaining members
- The remaining members voted to continue.
- remaining balance
- Pay the remaining balance by Friday.
- remaining questions
- Are there any remaining questions?
- the remaining few
- The remaining few hours dragged.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leftover
- Leftover is more casual and mostly used of food or things not used up.
- surviving
- Surviving suggests having lasted through danger or loss, which remaining does not.
- residual
- Residual is formal or technical and describes what stays behind, often a small amount.
- outstanding
- Outstanding often means still unpaid or undone, as in outstanding debts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: remaining or remainder?
remaining vs remainder
Remainder is a noun for what is left; remaining is an adjective used before a noun.
Practice
After the first group left, the ______ students stayed to finish the test.
Choose one answer.
An adjective is needed before the noun, so remaining fits. Remained is a verb form and remainder is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “remaining”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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