DictionaryAI

without

Saywith-OWT/wɪθˈaʊt/UK/wɪðˈaʊt/

6 meanings of without

Practice

  1. 1
    lackingpreposition
    Not having something, or not doing something, as in 'tea without sugar'.

    Think of it like a shopping list with one item crossed off.

    He walked to school without an umbrella and got soaked.

    It was a town without a cinema.

    Oppositewith

    Note
  2. 2
    adverb
    Not having something, with the thing left unsaid, as in 'do without'.

    The shop had no batteries left, so we had to do without.

    Many families went without during that long, hard winter.

    UsageSay do without or go without.

    Note
  3. 3
    on the outsideadverbarchaic
    Outside, in an old or poetic style.

    The sun warmed them without, and hope warmed them within. (literary)

    I knew that someone had entered the house cautiously from without.
    1904, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Golden Pince-NezHere, without means outside, from outside the house.

    UsageOften used with within, or as from without.

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    beyond (walls)prepositionarchaic
    Outside of, in an old or poetic style, as in 'without the walls'.

    The camp lay without the city walls. (literary)

    Eternity, before the world and after, is without our reach.
    c. 1689, Thomas Burnet, The Sacred Theory of the EarthHere, without means outside of or beyond our reach.

    UsageHere without the walls tells you where something is. It does not mean that walls are missing.

    Oppositewithin

    Note
  2. 5
    unlessconjunctiondialectal
    An old or dialect word for 'unless', as in 'without you have read it'.

    You won't know the story without you have read the book. (dialect)

    ‘Why,’ he blurted, ‘because they say I've no right to come up like this—without we mean to marry—’
    1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and LoversHere, without means unless, so unless we plan to marry.

    UsageIt comes before a full clause, like unless. Use unless yourself.

    Note
  3. 6
    adverb
    In the sex trade, a polite way of saying 'with no condom'.

Practice

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Origin

From Old English wiþūtan, meaning "against the outside of." It comes from the parts with- and out.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts