sans

¹ American  

[sanz, sahn] / sænz, sɑ̃ /

preposition

1. without.

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Sans. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Sanskrit.

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Sans. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Sanskrit

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sans ² British  

/ sænz /

preposition

1. an archaic word for without

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Etymology

Origin of sans

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old French sans, earlier sens, seinz, a conflation of Latin sine “without” and absentiā “in the absence of” (ablative of absentia absence )

Explanation

If you have a friend who hates onions, chances are they order their food at restaurants sans onions — meaning without them. The word sans comes from the French word that means "without." People often use sans in a playful manner or when they want to sound fancy. For example, someone might say, "I'll take my coffee sans cream," to mean they don't want cream. It just sounds a bit more sophisticated.

Example Sentences

Salon Food spoke with Chef Stephen Chavez, Senior Chef-Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education’s Los Angeles campus, who offered his go-to tips on how to cook sans any chopped onions.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

Major works like “Le Marteau sans Maître,” “Pli Selon Pli,” “. . . Explosante-Fixe. . . ” and the Second Piano Sonata are naturally included, but so are lesser-known pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

The Hujar transcript, recovered in 2019 sans the tape, was ultimately published as “Peter Hujar’s Day.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025

Still, you’re making some smart choices sans budgeting.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 31, 2025

Two years later Messner silenced all doubters, moreover, by traveling to the Tibetan side of Everest and making another ascent sans gas—this time entirely alone, without the support of Sherpas or anybody else.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• bare
• barren
• lacking
• vacant