go without

British

verb

to be denied or deprived of (something, esp food)

if you don't like your tea you can go without
that is obvious or self-evident

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a result, she often finds she has to go without in order to provide for her children.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

They don’t have to go without life-saving medicine — they have access to the best doctors and health care in the world.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

First, it should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Every child is different.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Without such unpaid family support, older adults would go without care or end up in institutionalized care, which would further burden the healthcare system and public programs like Medicaid.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

“Then that settles it. I won’t go without him.”

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023