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

Pierre likens Jordan to a massive puzzle that Stewart is trying to piece together without any instructions or even a reference.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

What can't be denied is the tournament has generated vast revenue and given English cricket a chance to reach audiences, both local and globally, that might not have been accessible without this radical change.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Forward guidance has high-minded objectives: making the Fed more transparent and accountable and giving markets the information they need to adapt to future policy shifts without undue surprises.

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

“First, your grandmother has the nerve to take you on some out-of-state field trip, without asking me. When I demand an explanation, all she says is ‘It had to be done.’

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold