What does without mean?
Without is a common English word expressing absence, lack, or exclusion. It usually acts as a preposition before a noun, pronoun, or gerund: “a message without errors,” “a life without regret,” or “left without saying goodbye.” It can also function as a conjunction before an action or clause, as in “The team won without their captain playing.” The word frequently appears in idioms such as “without warning,” “without permission,” and “without prejudice.” Its implications depend on context: it may simply describe something missing, but it can also suggest independence, lack of restriction, or even exceptional ability, as in “completed the task without difficulty.” In formal usage, “without” takes its complement directly rather than being followed by “of.” The related expression “do without” means to manage despite not having a needed item. Although simple and highly familiar, without is linguistically notable because its modern meaning developed from an Old English expression literally meaning “with out” or “outside.”
Not having, using, or being accompanied by something.
"The station was quiet without a single train in sight."
The complement follows directly without “of”: “without evidence,” not “without of evidence.”
Used before an action or event to mean that it does not occur.
"She left the meeting without explaining her decision."
This use commonly precedes a gerund or a clause and is especially frequent in formal writing.
With the required or relevant thing absent, especially in the expression “do without.”
"If the printer is out of ink, we will have to do without."
This use is chiefly found in the established expression “do without”; isolated adverbial use is uncommon in modern English.
Without literally combines “with” and “out”: something is cast outside your possession, reach, or experience.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does without come from?
The word comes from Old English wiþutan, formed from wiþ, meaning “with” or “against,” and ūtan, meaning “out.” Its earliest use was in the sense “outside” or “away from,” while the now-dominant sense “in the absence of” developed later. Related formations include withal, therewith, and wherewithal.
How without is actually used
Without normally takes its complement directly: “without water,” not “without of water.” It is neutral in register and especially common in formal and written English, though it is equally natural in speech. In constructions such as “do without,” it means to manage despite the absence of something.
Easily confused with without
Without indicates absence or exclusion, whereas within means inside a place, boundary, or period of time.
Without means lacking or excluding something, while with means having it, using it, or being accompanied by it.