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

Essentially, they carried out every necessary step to prepare for a renovation, without actually requiring Behar to start any construction.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Manchester City are often title favourites having won six of the past nine Premier League trophies, but they start this new season without their greatest ever manager, Pep Guardiola.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

“We are not able to sustain this program without this contract.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Three dissents in the same direction is rare; a fourth or fifth dissent on the 12-person committee would be without precedent in the modern era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

A doctor is bound by his oath not to reveal the details of a patient's condition without permission, so Dr. Harlow will keep his observations to himself for twenty years.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman