do without

British  

verb

1. to forgo; manage without

   I can't do without cigarettes

2. not to require (uncalled-for comments or advice)

   we can do without your criticisms thank you

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do without Idioms  

1. Manage in spite of being without something. For example, They will just have to do without a vacation this year, or There was no telephone in the cabin, but we soon learned to do without. [Early 1700s]

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Example Sentences

In Stewart’s view, what a jury was not to be trusted to do without the guidance given in the Georgia statute, they could now be entrusted to do.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

The staging could do without the underscoring that becomes heavy-handed in the play’s later stages.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

"The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!"

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The woman added: "I have not let Mr Lavery ruin my life by any means but it has certainly given it a dimension I could do without."

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

I don’t know what I’d do without Chelsea, Nadine, and Isaac.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

Related Words

• endure
• forgo