without

Outside, externally.

Adverb

  1. Outside, externally.
    • And as each and all of them were warmed without by the sun, so each had a private little sun for her soul to bask in; some dream, some affection, some hobby, at least some remote and distant hope which, though perhaps...
    • Strange silence here: without, the sounding street Heralds the world's swift passage to the fire - 1900, Ernest Dowson, Benedictio Domini, lines 13–14:
    • I knew that someone had entered the house cautiously from without. - 1904, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez, Norton, published 2005, page 1100:
  2. 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.” - 2012,...

Origin

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 Superseded non-native Middle English sauns, sans (“without”), from Old French sans, sanz, senz (“without”).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”)).

Forms

withoute wythoute wythowt wythowte

Derived

Calne Without Chippenham Without Clifton Without do without go without Llanidloes Without make it do or do without Melksham Without Millom Without Minehead Without St Cuthbert Without Wellington Without

Conjunction

  1. 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. - 1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter I, in The...
    • ‘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 Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:

Forms

withoute wythoute wythowt wythowte

Preposition

  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. - c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William...
    • Without the gate / Some drive the cars, and some the coursers rein. - 1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […],...
    • From thence we came without the Eaſtern gate, (ſtanding on a low Banke, called the daughter of Syon, that over-toppeth the valley of Iehoſaphat,) unto an immoveable ſtone, upon the which they ſaid St. Stephen was ſtoned...

    Antonyms: within

  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...

    Antonyms: with

  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.

Forms

withoute wythoute wythowt wythowte

Synonyms

lacking outwith with no -less w/o sans -free minus devoid of excluding excusing neglecting void of without

Antonyms

within with having characteristic of endowed with including

Hypernyms

exemption

Derived

absence without leave absent without leave a prophet is not without honor save in his own country a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle can't live with them and can't live without them cold without decimal without a zero distinction without a difference do without face without makeup fly without a licence go without go without saying handle without gloves handle without mittens it goes without saying let he who is without sin cast the first stone let him that is without sin cast the first stone let him who is without sin cast the first stone Life without Death make bricks without clay make bricks without straw make bricks without straws make off without payment