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

See Examples For:

without

The Belgian has described his brand of football as "a dominant one, with and without the ball".

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

This is the same Jimmy Chin who later filmed Alex Honnold as he climbed El Capitan in Yosemite without ropes or harness in “Free Solo,” which won the 2019 Oscar for Best Documentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The real reason is that the world is learning to live without using as much oil as it used to.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Stiffening the joint makes walking safer, but it also means the muscles are working harder without generating as much forward movement," he says.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

I don’t need to tell Grandma what can happen when someone in the family tries to tamper with their gift without a guide.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold