without

adv
/wɪðˈaʊt/UK/wɪθˈaʊt/US/wɪθˈɐʊ̯t/CA/wɪθˈɛʊ̯t/

Etymology

From Middle English withoute, withouten, from Old English wiþūtan (literally “against the outside of”). Compare Dutch buiten (“outside of, without”), Danish uden (“without”), Swedish utan (“without”), Norwegian uten (“without”). By surface analysis, with- + out. Superseded non-native Middle English sauns, sans (“without”), from Old French sans, sanz, senz (“without”). Compare typologically Proto-Slavic *bez (“without”) (<+ Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs (“out”)).

  1. inherited from wiþūtan
  2. inherited from withoute

Definitions

  1. Outside, externally.

    • Strange silence here: without, the sounding street Heralds the world's swift passage to the fire
    • I knew that someone had entered the house cautiously from without.
  2. Lacking something

    Lacking something; failing.

    • Being from a large, poor family, he learned to live without.
    • We've run out of bread; you'll have to do without until I can get to the bakeshop.
    • Whose can be used with a following noun or without.
  3. Without a condom being worn.

    • “What's within reason?” “Hand-job, blow-job, full sex — straight, full service. Greek, maybe, if you're not too big. Golden shower, if you like, but not reverse. No hardsports. And absolutely nothing without.”
  4. + 4 more definitions
    1. Outside of, beyond.

      • MACBETH: There's blood upon your face. FIRST MURDERER: 'Tis Banquo's then. MACBETH: 'Tis better thee without than he within.
      • Without the gate / Some drive the cars, and some the coursers rein.
    2. Not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.

      • It was a mistake to leave my house without a coat.
      • I was without formal education but was well read and articulate.
      • From another point of view, it was a place without a soul. The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the public men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied.
    3. Not doing or not having done something.

      • He likes to eat everything without sharing.
      • He shot without warning anyone.
      • Without noticing it I grew old.
    4. Unless, except (introducing a clause).

      • You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," but that ain't no matter.
      • ‘Why,’ he blurted, ‘because they say I've no right to come up like this—without we mean to marry—’

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for without. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA