without

(wĭTH-out', wĭth-)
adv.

1. On the outside: a sturdy structure within and without.
2. With something absent or lacking: had to do without.

prep.

1. 1. Not having; lacking: a family without a car.
   2. Not accompanied by; in the absence of: volunteered without hesitation; spoke without thinking.
2. At, on, to, or toward the outside or exterior of: standing without the door.

n.
An outer position, place, or area: a threat to security that came from without.

conj. Regional
Unless: "You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (Mark Twain).

[Middle English withoute, from Old English withūtan : with, with; see with + ūtan, from without (from ūt, out; see out).]

View more Literature & Language videos

1. Unlike the corresponding physical meaning of within (= inside), the original meaning of without, 'outside' (preposition and adverb), is no longer much used, although it will be familiar from literary contexts

(There is a green hill far away, Without a city wall—Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848

The throng without was...becoming more numerous and more savage—Macaulay, 1849).

The primary current uses are in the sense 'lacking, not having' (I came without an umbrella) and governing verbal nouns (She left without saying anything).

2. Also defunct is the use of without as a conjunction meaning 'unless', 'except when', although it still occurs in regional or dialect use and will be found occasionally in modern fiction:

I can truthfully say he never sat an exam without he was bad with his asthma—Pat Barker, 1991.

3.

How'd you like to make yourself a passel [= parcel] of money without hardly havin' to do any work?—D. Westheimer, 1973.

The use of without + hardly, which is a combination of a negative and an implied negative, is non-standard. The standard expression is almost without (or in some contexts, with hardly:

His eyes flickered to left and right, with hardly a turn of the head—T. Barnes, 1991).

Previous:	withhold, wit verb, wisteria
Next:	wizened, womanly, womanish, womyn

Expression for a market characterized by the absence of either bids or offers, indicating a one-way market. If XYZ at $50 was the bid, and there was no offer, the quote would be $50 without. This is usually a market where rising prices are expected.

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

See also absent without leave; do without; get along without; go without saying; no smoke without fire.

adv, prep

Definition: outside
Antonyms: inside

IN BRIEF: Not having.

There is no success without hardship. — Sophocles (496-406 BC).

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: After both hands come together, they move apart with the hands opening up and the fingers spreading apart.

---

For a list of words related to without, see:

• Conjunctions
• Prepositions
• Limitations and Conditions
• Relative Positions - without: (adv) on the exterior, outside; external to

---

See words rhyming with "without."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Without.

Dansk (Danish)
prep. - uden
adv. - udenfor
conj. - uden at

idioms:

• go without    gå udenfor
• without end    uden ende

Nederlands (Dutch)
zonder, zonder (dat), buiten

Français (French)
prep. - sans
adv. - à l'extérieur, de l'extérieur
conj. - sans que

idioms:

• go without    aller sans (dire), aller (de soi)
• without end    sans fin

Deutsch (German)
prep. - ohne, ohne daß, außerhalb
adv. - außen, außerhalb, nach außen hin
conj. - wenn nicht

idioms:

• go without    verzichten auf, ohne auskommen
• without end    ohne Ende

Ελληνική (Greek)
prep. - χωρίς, άνευ, δίχως, εκτός
adv. - έξω, απ' έξω
conj. - χωρίς

idioms:

• go without    περνώ/πορεύομαι χωρίς, τη βγάζω χωρίς, στερούμαι
• without end    ατελείωτος

Italiano (Italian)
senza

idioms:

• go without    far senza
• without end    senza fine

Português (Portuguese)
prep. - sem
adv. - fora
conj. - a menos que

idioms:

• go without    ir sem
• without end    interminável

Русский (Russian)
без чего-л., без того, чтобы (не), пространство или место за пределами чего-л., снаружи, внешне, наружу, если не

idioms:

• go without    обходиться без чего-л.
• without end    без конца, во веки веков

Español (Spanish)
prep. - sin, fuera de, afuera, de, más allá de
adv. - fuera, afuera, por fuera, en el exterior, exteriormente
conj. - a menos que, salvo que

idioms:

• go without    pasarse sin, prescindir de
• without end    infinito, sin fin

Svenska (Swedish)
prep. - utan
adv. - utanför
conj. - utan att

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
没有, 在...之外, 不, 在外, 在屋外, 除非, 如果不

idioms:

• go without    没有...也行
• without end    无穷

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
prep. - 沒有, 在...之外, 不
adv. - 在外, 在屋外
conj. - 除非, 如果不

idioms:

• go without    沒有...也行
• without end    無窮

한국어 (Korean)
prep. - ~없이, ~없이는, ~하지 않고
adv. - 밖에, 겉으로는
conj. - ~이 아니면, ~하지 않고서는

idioms:

• go without    ~이 없다, ~없이 해 나가다
• without end    끝없는, 끝없이

日本語 (Japanese)
prep. - …がなく, うわべは
n. - 外部
adj. - 資産を欠いた

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(حرف جر) خارج نطاق, خارج, وراء, بدون (ظرف) خارجيا, من دون أن (حرف عطف) إلا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
prep. - ‮ללא, בלי, בלא ש-, חסר-, נטול-, בחוץ (מיושן), חופשי מ-‬
adv. - ‮בחוץ, מבחוץ‬
conj. - ‮אלא אם‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.