re ‧ main S1 W1 /rɪˈmeɪn/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : the remainder, ↑ remainder , ↑ remains ; verb : ↑ remain ; adjective : ↑ remaining ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: remaindre , from Latin remanere , from manere 'to stay' ]
1 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, linking verb] to continue to be in the same state or condition:
Please remain seated until all the lights are on.
We remained friends.
The boy remained silent.
remain as
Despite the job losses, Parker remained as manager.
remain unclear/unchanged/unanswered etc
Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say something or someone stays in a particular state, condition, or place, rather than remains in it:
▪
We stayed friends.
2 . [intransitive] formal to stay in the same place without moving away SYN stay
remain at/in/with etc
She was too ill to remain at home.
The refugees were allowed to remain in the UK.
3 . [intransitive] to continue to exist or be left after others have gone, been used, or been destroyed:
Little of the original building remains.
The score is tied, with fifteen minutes remaining.
What remains of his original art collection is now in the city museum.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that something is left rather than remains .
▪
Not much of the old town is left.
4 . [intransitive] to be left after other things have been dealt with
remain to be done
Several points remain to be settled.
There remained a few jobs still to be finished.
The fact remains that racism is still a considerable problem.
5 . it remains to be seen used to say that it is still uncertain whether something will happen or is true:
It remains to be seen whether the operation was successful.
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THESAURUS
▪ stay to not leave a place, or to be in a place for a particular period of time:
Stay where you are and don’t move.
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John only stayed at the party for a couple of hours.
▪ remain formal to stay somewhere. In written English, people often prefer to use remain rather than stay , because it sounds more formal:
Some 2,000 protesters remained outside the building and refused to leave.
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The judge recommended that he remain in jail for the rest of his life.
▪ linger to stay in a place a little longer than you need to, because you are enjoying yourself, or because you hope to see someone or something:
He lingered outside the lecture hall, hoping for a chance to talk to her.
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There are plenty of small cafés where you can linger over a cappuccino.
▪ loiter to stay in a place not doing anything – used when you think someone is waiting for the chance to do something bad or illegal:
The two men had been seen loitering in the area on the day that the car was stolen.
▪ hang around informal to stay somewhere not doing anything:
There are gangs of boys hanging around on street corners.
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I don’t mind hanging around for a few minutes.
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The boss doesn’t like being kept hanging around.
▪ stick around informal to stay in the same place or situation for a period of time, especially while you are waiting for something to happen or someone to arrive:
I decided to stick around and see how it all turned out.
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Make up your mind. I’m not going to stick around forever.