without

American  

[with-out, with-] / wɪðˈaʊt, wɪθ- /

preposition

1. with the absence, omission, or avoidance of; not with; with no or none of; lacking.

   without help; without shoes; without her helping me; without him to help.

2. free from; excluding.

   a world without hunger.

3. not accompanied by.

   Don't go without me.

4. at, on, or to the outside of; outside of.

   both within and without the house or the city.

5. beyond the compass, limits, range, or scope of (now used chiefly in opposition towithin ).

   whether within or without the law.

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adverb

1. in or into an exterior or outer place; outside.

2. outside a house, building, etc..

   The carriage awaits without.

3. lacking something implied or understood.

   We must take this or go without.

4. as regards the outside; externally.

noun

1. the outside of a place, region, area, room, etc.

conjunction

1. Midland and Southern U.S. unless.

without British  

/ wɪˈðaʊt /

preposition

1. not having

   a traveller without much money

2. not accompanied by

   he came without his wife

3. not making use of

   it is not easy to undo screws without a screwdriver

4. (foll by a verbal noun or noun phrase) not, while not, or after not

   she can sing for two minutes without drawing breath

5. archaic on the outside of

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adverb

1. formal outside; outwardly

conjunction

1. not_standard unless

   don't come without you have some money

without Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing without

• absent without leave
• do without
• get along without
• go without saying
• no smoke without fire

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Etymology

Origin of without

First recorded before 900; Middle English withouten, Old English withūtan (adverb and preposition); equivalent to with + out

Example Sentences

Hardly a week passes now without Beijing’s disciplinary apparatus claiming another senior official—military commanders, civilian bureaucrats, retired provincial party bosses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

And such was his pace on medium tyres in the first stint of the race that Mercedes felt he was on target to run longer and claim the lead anyway, even without the safety car.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

If approved, it would set a 2.5% ticket charge for mid-sized venues, while larger venues like SoFi Stadium would continue paying 10% per ticket, but without the $15 million cap.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

What’s more, the total property equity would grow to $720,000 without any further contributions.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

An empty glove, worthless without a hand to fill it.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman