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without

[with-out, with-]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR without ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

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.

free from; excluding: a world without hunger.

not accompanied by: Don't go without me.

at, on, or to the outside of; outside of: both within and without the house or the city.

beyond the compass, limits, range, or scope of (now used chiefly in opposition to within): whether within or without the law.

adverb

in or into an exterior or outer place; outside.

outside a house, building, etc.: The carriage awaits without.

lacking something implied or understood: We must take this or go without.

as regards the outside; externally.

noun

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

conjunction

Midland and Southern U.S. unless.

Origin of without

before 900; Middle English withouten, Old English withūtan (adv. and preposition), equivalent to with with + -ūtan from without, equivalent to ūt out + -an suffix of motion from

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for without

after, beyond, out, outdoors, outwardly, past, externally, out-of-doors

Examples from the Web for without

Contemporary Examples of without

Without it, they say, the disease would surely kill her within two years.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?
Brandy Zadrozny
January 8, 2015
The research literature, too, asks these questions, and not without reason.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models
Carrie Arnold
January 8, 2015
Then they came up against a police patrol on mountain bicycles, which again led to more shooting, without injuries.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects
Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey
January 7, 2015
I remember all our music appeared on Spotify overnight, without anybody asking us.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore
James Joiner
January 7, 2015
But, as the people of Irving are now discovering, all of this poking and prodding is not without potential consequences.
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas
James Joiner
January 7, 2015

Historical Examples of without

I spoke to Philothea just as I used to do; without remembering that she had died.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Without reasons I was sure of, you know, so there could be no chance of any mistake.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
It seems to me that life is no life, but living death, without that freedom!
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
Without knowing why, they understood perfectly now that neither had been ingenuous.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
You shall be reckless as you like—but without your stored energy surplus to harm you.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for without

without

preposition

not havinga traveller without much money

not accompanied byhe came without his wife

not making use ofit is not easy to undo screws without a screwdriver

(foll by a verbal noun or noun phrase) not, while not, or after notshe can sing for two minutes without drawing breath

archaic on the outside of

adverb

formal outside; outwardly

conjunction

not standard unlessdon't come without you have some money

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

Word Origin and History for without

adv.

Old English wiðutan, literally "against the outside" (opposite of within), see with + out. As a word expressing lack or want of something (opposite of with), attested from c.1200. In use by late 14c. as a conjunction, short for without that.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with without

without

In addition to the idioms beginning with without

without a leg to stand on
without a stitch on
without batting an eye
without doubt
without fail
without further ado
without question
without so much as

also see:

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.