Without is a preposition (and occasionally an adverb) meaning: not having something; lacking something; not in the company of someone; or not doing something. Example: You cannot pass the exam without a solid grasp of grammar rules.
What Does Without Mean?
Without descends from Old English withthutan, a compound of with (against, alongside) and utan (outside). Originally it carried a spatial sense — "on the outside of" — that survives today only in literary or archaic writing (the lands without the city walls). In everyday modern British English, without nearly always expresses absence or the omission of an action.
The word has three closely related uses. As a preposition before a noun or pronoun it means not having: tea without sugar. Before a gerund it means not doing: she left without saying goodbye. As an adverb it means in a state of lacking: if there is no milk, we shall simply have to go without. The adverbial use is slightly formal and more common in British than American English.
Because without is classified as a preposition, it must be followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund — never by an infinitive. This is the single most important grammar point for ESL learners, and the most frequent source of error.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| I cannot drink coffee without milk. | A2 — without + noun (absence of thing) |
| She walked out of the room without saying a word. | B1 — without + gerund (omission of action) |
| He has lived in London for two years without a permanent job. | B1 — without + noun phrase (lacking something) |
| The project was completed on time and without any significant issues. | B2 — without + noun in formal/professional register |
| You cannot pass the exam without a solid grasp of grammar rules. | C1 — without + noun phrase expressing prerequisite |
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning & example |
|---|---|
| without doubt | certainly — She is without doubt the best candidate. |
| without fail | always, reliably — He arrives on time without fail. |
| without question | undeniably — This is without question his finest work. |
| without notice | unexpectedly — The meeting was cancelled without notice. |
| without delay | immediately — Please respond without delay. |
| without exception | in every case — All students, without exception, must attend. |
| without hesitation | confidently, at once — She answered without hesitation. |
| without warning | suddenly — The alarm went off without warning. |
| without a word | in silence — He left without a word. |
| go without | manage in the absence of — If there is no bread, we'll go without. |
Usage Notes
Key Grammar Points
without + noun / pronoun: Expresses the absence of a person or thing. Tea without sugar. A world without borders.
without + gerund (-ing): Expresses that an action was not performed. She finished the test without checking her answers. This is the pattern that most ESL learners find difficult — remember, no infinitive after without.
without as adverb: Used alone when the thing being lacked is already understood. There was no hot water, so we had to wash without. This use is chiefly British English and slightly formal.
Formal collocations: Many fixed phrases with without (without doubt, without fail, without exception) are common in formal, academic, and business writing. Learning these as chunks will accelerate your fluency.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She left without to say goodbye.
She left without saying goodbye. (without + gerund, never infinitive)
He passed the exam without no preparation.
He passed the exam without any preparation. (avoid double negatives)
I can't do it without that you help me.
I can't do it without your help. / I can't do it unless you help me. (without takes a noun/gerund, not a clause)
Etymology
Without comes from Old English withthutan — a compound of with (meaning "against" or "alongside" in Old English, not "together with" as today) and utan ("outside", related to modern out). The original spatial sense "on the outside of" was the primary meaning in early English. By the Middle English period the abstract meaning "lacking" had become dominant. Compare the archaic phrase within and without (inside and outside), which preserves the spatial original. The modern pronunciation /wɪˈðaʊt/ reflects the shift of Old English /uː/ to /aʊ/ during the Great Vowel Shift of the 15th–17th centuries.