▪ I. without, adv., prep., conj.
(wɪˈðaʊt)
Forms (2–5 written as one or as two words): α. wið-, wiþutan, 2–4 wiþ-, withuten, 3–5 wiþouten, etc. (see with and outen adv.), 4–6, 7–9 arch. withouten; also 3 -utene, -utin, 4–5 -owtten(e, 5 -oughten, -owghten, -outene, -yn(e, etc.; abbreviated 5 w{supt}outon, w{supt}owtyn. β. 2–4 wiþute, 3–4 witute, 3–6 withoute, (3 widh wute, wiþ houte, 4 wit out(t)e, 5 witheoute), etc. (cf. oute adv.); abbreviated 4, 6 w{supt} oute, 5 w{supt}owte, w{supt}ouȝte. γ. 3 wiþ vt, 4–5 wiþout, etc. (see with and out adv.), 4– without; abbreviated 5–6 w{supt}out, 5 w{supt}ouȝt, w{supt}wt, 6, 8 {wmac}out, 7 w{supt}{suph}out.
[Late OE. wiþ{uacu}tan, f. wiþ with prep. + {uacu}tan outen adv.: see within.]
A. adv. I. Outside, in various senses: opp. to within adv. Now only literary and somewhat arch.
For instances of the ellipsis of the object of the prep., in which without has the appearance of an adv., and may be so construed, see B. 4 and 14.
1. On the outside or outer surface (of a material thing); externally.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 86 His lichama barn wiðutan mid langsumere hætan. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3828 On a wond Wið-uten ðo wrot he wið hond Ðe twelfte names of ðat kin. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 8047 A vesselle dypped..In water..Has water bath with-in and with-out. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. vii. (1495) N vj/2 A Rede..is..smothe wythout & holow within. 1419 in Proc. Privy Council (1834) II. 247 They were endosid wiþoutyn to suche persones as us liste assigne. a 1425 Cursor M. 17347 (Trin.) Þei..shutte þe dores at þe last Wiþinne & wiþoute loken so. 14.. Why I can't be a Nun 180 in E.E.P. (1862) 143 Hyt schyned wythe-owte so fayre and clere. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. i. 52 Be the lackes faire within, the Gils faire with⁓out? 1611 Coryat Crudities 85 The Dukes Palace seemeth to be faire, but I was not in it, onely I saw it without. 1621 T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard 82 The Images called Silenes, which a farre off, and without appeared to bee grossely carued. 1626 Bacon Sylva §505 It is an ordinary Curiosity, to Forme Trees and Shrubs..into Sundry Shapes; which is done by Moulding them within, and Cutting them without. 1797 [see within A. 1]. |
2. a. Outside (or out of) the place mentioned or implied; esp. outside the house or room; out of doors.
| a 1100 in Assmann Ags. Hom. xvi. 126 Þæt ðær ᵹelamp, þæt hiᵹ ealle in on þa burh foron, þæt ðær nan þyng þæs folces wyðutan belyfen næs. c 1100 O.E. Chron. (MS.F.) an. 992 Man scolde fandian ᵹif man mihte betræppan þane here ahwar wiþutan. c 1205 Lay. 12562 Bruttes weoren wið innen..& Melga wið vten. a 1300 Cursor M. 996 A firin wall þar es a-bute, Mai nan win in þat es wit-oute. Ibid. 15082 ‘Welcum be þou lauerd’, said þai, ‘Duell þou noght wit-vte.’ c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2240 Naymes þanne with-oute ȝede & hadde þe kyng wiþ-inne. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) v. 17 Fra þis citee til a hill withoute bare Sampson..þe ȝates of þe citee. 1526 Tindale Matt. xii. 47 Behold thy moder and thy brethren stond without. 1535 Coverdale 2 Kings x. 24 Whan they came in to offer sacrifyces.., Iehu appoynted him foure score men without. 1654 Sir A. Johnston (Ld. Wariston) Diary (S.H.S.) II. 300 They wer al sett in the feilds, but M. J. L. absolutely refused to preach without. 1684 Bunyan Pilgr. ii. (1900) 175 All this time poor Mercy did stand without, trembling and crying for fear that she was rejected. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones x. iii, There is a Footman without with the Horses. 1768 Goldsm. Good-n. Man v, Jar{ddd}I'll go hasten things without. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. x. II. 562 Meanwhile the throng without was..becoming more numerous and more savage. 1890 Bridges Spring ii. viii, When winds without make moan, I love my own fireside. 1892 Zangwill Childr. Ghetto i. xv, Pinchas..betook himself unceremoniously without. |
b. transf. Outside of a class, body, or community; not in the number or membership; in an alien or foreign community. those (that are) without = ‘outsiders’. Now only in echoes of 1 Cor. v. 12.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3024 Þe king..let rere up chirchen & to al þat lond aboute, & bissopes dude in hor poer, þat er were al wiþoute. ? a 1300 in O.E. Misc. 146/34, xxxij. schiren syndan on engelonde. And Norþhumbre is wiþ-vtan And loðen and westmaralond and Cumberlond And Cornwale. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) II. lxxiv. [lxx.] 224 The pryse was gyuen of them without, to syr Johne Holande. 1526 Tindale 1 Cor. v. 12 What have I to do to iudge them that are with out? Do ye not iudge them that are with in? 1535 Coverdale Deut. xxv. 5 Then shall not y⊇ wife of the deed take a straunge man without, but hir kynsman shal..take her to wyfe. 1676 W. Allen Addr. Nonconf. 67 The breaking the Churches Peace..and the bad effects of it, both among themselves and in reference to them without. 1846 A. Marsh Fr. Darcy xxxix, The secrets of my trade..are not to be lightly communicated to those who are without. 1864 Pusey Daniel (1876) 300 To win those without to live according to the law. |
3. fig. and gen. Outside of the inward being, soul, or mind; with regard to external actions or circumstances; in relation to others or to something other than the self; sometimes, in outward appearance as opposed to inward reality; outwardly.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 404 Swa sind ᵹe eac æteowode wiðutan rihtwise on manna ᵹesihðum. a 1225 Ancr. R. 4 Þe oðer riwle is al wiðuten, & riwleð þe licome & licomliche deden. 1340 Ayenb. 25 Ypocrisye..is a zenne þet makeþ to ssewy þe guod wyþoute þet ne is naȝt wyþinne. a 1400 Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. (1914) 54 How þay sall bere þam with-owtten and with-in; howe to God, how to man. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxvi. 123 Ne þare schuld na man luffe a creature for þe bewtee withouten. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W.) i. iii, Some thynges they make in operacyon wythout all onely, the whiche thynges are not in the soule materyally. 1560 Bible (Geneva) 2 Cor. vii. 5 We were troubled on euerie side, fightings without, & terrours within. 1607 Grimestone tr. Goulart's Admir. Hist. 392 Rage..may..haue inward beginnings, without any accidentall contagion without. 1653 Z. Bogan Medit. Mirth Chr. Life 209 When (for ought a man can see) by his countenance without, a godly man may be sad, and melancholick, and perplexed. 1692 E. Walker tr. Epictetus' Mor. xxvi, An injury To something else without, 'tis none to thee. 1832 H. Martineau Hill & Valley v. 84 Then you will be at ease without and at peace within. 1855 G. Macdonald (title) Within and Without: a dramatic poem. |
4. Preceded by from, in above senses.
| a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 1032 ‘Ȝe Calodoyns’,..he callis fra with-oute. 1645– [see within adv. 4]. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. ix. 190 The hints I received from without. 1768 Goldsm. Good-n. Man v, He who seeks only for applause from without, has all his happiness in another's keeping. 1848 Dickens Dombey xxxvi, Doors opened smartly from without. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 548 An independent state, jealous of all interference from without. 1898 Illingworth Div. Imman. vi. 137 The man loses his power of self-determination,..and is..determined from without. |
B. prep. I. Outside of, beyond (in various senses): opp. to within prep. Now only literary or arch.
1. a. Outside of, on or at the outside of, in the space external to (a space, region, place, receptacle, inclosing boundary, etc.).
without board (Naut.): see board n. 12. See also without doors below.
| c 893 ælfred Oros. ii. iv. §7 Wiðutan þæm dice is ᵹeworht tweᵹea elna heah weall. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1079 Se cyng Willelm ᵹefeaht toᵹeanes his sunu Rotbearde wiðutan Normandiᵹe. c 1205 [see board n. 12]. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1367 At a welle wið-uten ðe tun. c 1375 Cursor M. 8196 (Fairf.) Ilkan to sette þaire pauylion..wiþ⁓out [Cott. vtewit] þe toun. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (prose) 31 Obied wid-vten þe kirke dore to þe vre be sungen. 1410 E.E. Wills (1882) 16 The Cherch of seynt Clementis wyth⁓owtyn Templebarr. a 1425 Cursor M. 10989 (Trin.) Þe folke þat were þe chirche wiþoute Wondride what he was aboute. 1426 Cov. Leet Bk. 111 As well withoute house as within. 1496 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 176 To pyche the said shipp without borde. 1497 Ibid. 250 Abourde the Regent withoute Portesmouth haven. 1571 Jewel Def. Apol. 711 No Bishop maie geeue orders without his owne Diocese. a 1572 Knox Hist. Ref. Wks. 1846 I. 205 Thare fell a schour of rane,..so vehement, that no man mycht abyd without a house. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iii. 94 A little Chappell a mile without the Village. a 1676 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. i. i. (1677) 20 We cannot know..whether there be any Worlds without the compass of this. 1717 Berkeley Jrnl. Tour Italy Wks. 1871 IV. 530 The church of St. Agnes without the City. 1745 Kent's Lond. Directory 83 Snow Thomas & Comp. Bankers, without Temple-bar. 1827 Hallam Const. Hist. xviii. II. 727 The Irish language was universally spoken without the pale. 1869 Tyndall Notes Lect. Light §292 The rays of greatest heat..lie entirely without the visible spectrum. 1885 Act 48 Vict. c. 15. Sched. ii. 2 A parish..situate partly within and partly without the boundary. |
b. (with verb of motion) So as to be outside of, to the outside of, out of. Obs. or arch.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxi. 39 Ða namon hiᵹ & ofsloᵹon hyne & awurpon wið-utan þone win-ᵹeard. c 1290 Beket 2226 in S. Eng. Leg. 170 With-oute þe ȝates ne cam he nouȝt. 1387 Trevisa Higden III. 91 Nabugodonosor..slowȝ alle the strong men,..and þrewe hem wiþ outen þe walles vnburied. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour 45 She yede without her place crieng on God. 1464–5 in Acts Parl. Scot. (1874) XII. 30/2 Sendand woll..fra quhatsumeuir port..within þe Realme of Scotland wtw{supt} þe samyn Realme. 1889 Stevenson Master of Ballantrae xii. 317 He led me without the camp. |
c. On the outer side of; further out than; (in or to the space) beyond. (Cf. within B. 1 d.)
| 1623 Bingham Xenophon 18 All the middest of his battell..was extended without the left Wing of Cyrus his Troopes. 1712 W. Rogers Voy. (1718) 5 When I came without the Spit⁓end, I saluted the Hastings. 1777 W. Dalrymple Trav. Sp. & Port. xliii, The rest of the court form in a second circle without the ambassadors. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 122 Off the rock of Sipsapa, are three spots of breakers,..one without another. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 736 Without, outside, as, studding-sail without studding-sail. |
† d. At more than, beyond (a specified distance).
| 1724 Lond. Gaz. No. 6290/3 To begin to Work without 70 Yards Distance from the Shoar. |
2. transf. and fig. Outside of, not in the limits of, external(ly) to.
| 1028–60 Laws Northumb. Priests §61 Þæt nan man ne wifiᵹe on neahsibban men þonne wiðutan þam iiii. cneowe. 1357 Lay Folks' Catech. (T.) 105 Withouten halikirke nis na saule hele. c 1375 Cursor M. 13166 (Fairf.) Nauþer I aske þe hous ne lande Ne nane oþer þing wiþ-oute resoun [Cott. wit vnresun]. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (prose) 17 Ilke sunday wid-uten lentin sal þe cantikils be said. c 1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert vii, Whan he was vexed with ony materis, eythir with-oute þe religion or with-Inne. 1558 Knox First Blast (Arb.) 45 It was forbidden vnto them to marie without their owne tribe. 1618 Wither Motto, Nec Curo Juvenilia (1633) 544 He that beares an honest heart about him, Needs never feare what changes be without him. 1694 Stanhope Epictetus' Morals i. 11 The Object that moves our Affection, is without us. 1705 ― Paraphr. II. 138 Some [reasons] are without the compass of my present design. 1877 Sparrow Serm. xiv. 190 One whose sources of happiness are without him. |
† b. So as to exceed; beyond. Obs.
The phr. without measure (= F. sans or outre mesure), ‘immoderate(ly)’, ‘excessive(ly)’, belongs here or under 10 a.
| c 1400 [see measure n. 12 b]. c 1520 Skelton Magnyf. 1895 Somtyme without Measure he trusted in golde; And now without Measure he shal haue hunger and colde. c 1610 Women Saints (1886) 63 Beating and bouncing her without all measure. |
† 3. a. Beyond the extent of, outside the range of (some action or perception); beyond the scope or sphere of action of. Obs.
For without comparison, etc. see 10 d.
| a 1548 [see reach n.1 5 b]. 1551 Turner Herbal i. Prol. A ij b, He beynge without the danger of gonne shot. 1577 Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. 151 b, Though it be without my commission to meddle with them. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xxii. §3 Two thynges are without our commaund: Poyntes of Nature, and pointes of Fortune. a 1676 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. i. iii. (1677) 91 Conjectures of things without our knowledge. 1770 Sir J. Reynolds Disc. iii. (1876) 332 Beauties in our art that seem..to lie without the reach of precept. 1809 Kendall Trav. I. vii. 70 The happy consequences..are without description. 1809 Levity & Sorrow II. 221 To witness the elements jarring from above, and without their reach. |
† b. Beyond the capacity or comprehension of (= beyond B. 5 b); outside the province of. Obs.
| 1599 B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. i. iv, Oh, now I apprehend you; your phrase was without me before. 1603 ― Sejanus ii. i, The ages that succeede..shall admire And reckon it an act, without your Sexe. |
4. Used absol. by ellipsis of obj., in opposition to within (or in) prep., where it has the appearance of an adv.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5933 Bath in huses and wit-vte. c 1300 K. Horn 256 (Laud) Wit hinne þe curt and wit oute. 1480 in Cov. Leet Bk. 446 Placez within the shire of Couentre & withoute. 1587 A. Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1399/1 Aliances either in Italie or without. 1830 Carlyle Misc. Ess., Richter again (1872) III. 11 Is not God's Universe within our head, whether there be a torn skull-cap or a king's diadem without? |
II. Senses intermediate between I. and III.
† 5. In addition to, or with the addition of; besides. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 366 We habbeð seoue þusund of gode cnihten, wið outen wifmen. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4107 An hondred þousend hors..Wiþ oute votmen þat were so vale þat þer nas of non ende. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 54 With⁓outen alle þis a hundreth knyghtes he toke. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 461 Housbondes..she hadde fyue Withouten oother compaignye in youthe. 1387 Trevisa Higden VI. 93 Wiþ oute þe ful service he wolde every day seie þe sawter. 1436 in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. Var. Collect. IV. 197 There ys redy..iiij{supc} shippes of forstage wythoute other smal shipes. 1535 Coverdale Isa. xlv. 14 God (with out whom there is none other God). |
† 6. Exclusive of, not including, except. Obs.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 378 Nim..þa wyrtas wærma, alla wiðutan sauina. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 557 A flod..ouer-flowȝed men & deres kin, Wið-vten noe and hise ðre sunen. c 1300 Havelok 425 Godard was..þe moste swike, Þat eure in erþe shaped was, With-uten on, þe wike Iudas. c 1320 in Rel. Ant. I. 119 He wes the fayrest mon, With-outen Absolon, That seththe wes ant tho. |
III. Expressing absence, privation, or negation: With or involving the absence or want of; in a state of not having, or so as not to have; so, or such, that there is no... Opp. to with prep. II ***. (The ordinary current use.)
7. a. (a) (with obj. a thing, material or immaterial) With absence of; not with the presence or addition of; not having with it or with one; not accompanied by; not combined or associated with; not having in one's charge; not carrying or wearing.
| c 1200 Ormin 997 Bræd all þeorrf wiþþutenn berrme. 12.. Prov. Alfred 119 Wyþvte wysdome is weole wel vnwurþ. a 1352 Minot Poems (ed. Hall) vii. 138 Bisschoppes.. Þat songen all withouten stole. 1382 Wyclif Luke xxii. 35 Whanne I sente ȝou with oute sachel and scrip, and schoon. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 10 Barfot on an asse back, bootles..With-oute spores oþer spere. 1426 Audelay Poems 15 Wele withoutyn woo. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. ii. v. (1867) 57 There is no fyre without some smoke. 1565 Golding Ovid's Met. iii. (1593) 68 A spring withouten mud as silver cleere. 1600 Nashe Summer's Last Will 16, I..vse to go without money, without garters, without girdle. 1744 Berkeley Siris §196 Phosphorus burns equally, with and without air. 1864 Bryce Holy Rom. Emp. xvi. (1875) 276 A barbarism which had inherited all the vices of civilization without any of its virtues. |
† (b) Less, minus (a certain amount). Obs.
| c 1450 Godstow Reg. 435 In brede xiiij. elnys with out ynche. |
b. (with obj. a person) In the absence of; in a state of absence from; not with the companionship or attendance of.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 969 Dido, Forth they gon..His fere & he with-outyn any gyde. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione ii. viii. 48 What may þe worlde auaile þe wiþoute ihesu? 1491 Cartul. S. Nicholai Aberdon. (New Spald. Cl.) I. 256 Nay mess salbe songit Withoutin xij personis and ye prest. a 1548 Hall Chron., 14 Hen. VII, 49 He..began secretly to commen without any witnesses or arbitrers nere hond with the bishop alone. 1656 Stanley Hist. Philos., Plato 33 He counsel'd Dionysius to give over the Tyranny, and live with⁓out a Guard. 1685 Lady R. Russell Lett. (1853) I. 165 Doubtless he is at rest, though I find none without him. 1750 Johnson Rambler No. 6 ¶11 Those to whom he has formerly been known will very patiently support his absence when they have tried a little to live without him. 1877 Mrs. Argles Phyllis xxvii. (1890) 337 If you can live without me,..I would rather ten thousand times be dead, than exist without you. |
c. without-profit(s) adj., of a life assurance policy: providing normal cover but not allowing the insured to receive a share of the profits of the insurance company. Also applied to the associated funds, business, etc. Cf. with profit(s) adj. s.v. with prep. 24 d.
| 1924, 1944 [see with prep. (adv., conj.) 24 d]. 1960 Times 24 Oct. (Financial Rev.) p. xiii/4 For without⁓profits contracts are tending to come down. 1965 Economist 24 July p. xxii, When interest rates are high and there is significant inflation, profits on the without⁓profits businesses are high, since the premiums were originally fixed on the basis of lower money returns than are now being earned. 1982 London Life Association Ann. Rep., Total without profit funds. |
8. a. In a state of not possessing; not having (as a possession of any kind, a part, an advantage, etc.); in want of, destitute of, lacking.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 991 Wanne man wiþoute eir of him sulue to deþe were ibroȝt His moder kun was is eir. c 1300 Havelok 2860 Þe erl of cestre,..Þat was yung knith wituten wif. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 343 With oute bake mete was neuere his hous. 1459 Paston Lett. I. 476, j. hood of russet felwet withougt a typpet. 1526 Tindale Acts ix. 9 And he was iij. dayes wyth out sight. Ibid. xiv. 17 He lefte not hym silfe with outen witnes. 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Luke i. 11–12 The grief and pensifnesse of beeng without issue. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. xxii. (1653) 426 The shin-bone exposed to all encounters without any defence at all. 1667 Dryden & Dk. Newc. Sir M. Mar-all iii. (1668) 32, I hate him worse than foul weather without a Coach. 1754 in Nairne Peerage Evid. (1874) 48 Deceased..w'out issue of his body. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xxi, Without cross or coin to bless yourself with! 1871 Geo. Eliot Middlem. xxxv. II. 212, I do believe you are better without the money. 1883 Law Times 20 Oct. 407/2 Preventing..a litigant without a case from wantonly harassing his opponent. |
b. Not with (something that might be given, granted, or obtained); not getting or receiving, or having got or received.
| c 1200 Vices & Virtues 11 Ðat we sculen bliðeliche ȝiuen.., wið-uten erðliche mede, alle ðe niede habbeð. a 1225 Ancr. R. 230 Lo hu heo [sc. the devils] ne muhten nout wiðuten leaue swenchen fule swin. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 377 Y was left with outen helpe. c 1420 Prose Life Alex. 41 He commanded þat he schulde wende hame to his felawes wit-owtten any harme. c 1450 Merlin iv. 69 Thus departed the messagers with-outen other ansuere. 1548–1765 [see licence n. 1]. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 735 The Victim Ox..Sunk of himself, without the Gods Command: Preventing the slow Sacrificer's Hand. 1707 Watts Hymn ‘How beauteous are their feet’ iv, Prophets and kings desir'd it long, But dy'd without the sight. 1723 Dk. Wharton True Briton No. 3. I. 19 They are all Guilty of Felony, without Benefit of the Clergy. 1842 Tennyson Ld. of Burleigh 10 He to lips, that fondly falter, Presses his without reproof. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 623 He would as soon die without their absolution as with it. |
c. In the construction of certain verbs: see do v. 41, go v. 69. Also colloq. with ellipsis.
| 1458– [see go v. 69]. 1713– [see do v. 41]. 1899 R. Whiteing 5 John St. 75 His one principle of conduct is to do without. |
9. a. With no use, employment, or action of (an instrument, means, etc.); not using, or not being acted upon by.
without book: see book n. 15: hence (with hyphen) attrib. or as adj., recited without book or from memory.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1086 He hæfde Yrlande mid his werscipe ᵹewunnon & wiðutan ælcon wæpnon. c 1200 Ormin 11329 Wiþþutenn mete & drinnch heold Crist hiss fasste þære fowwerrtiȝ daȝhess. 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. vi. iv. in Ashm. (1652) 162 So that hyt lyke wax wyll melt..Wythouten blast. 1597 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. iv. 7 (Qo.) Weele haue..no withoutbooke Prologue faintly spoke After the Prompter, for our entrance. c 1615 Bacon Advice to Sir G. Villiers Wks. 1879 I. 519/1 The excess of diet..would be avoided; wise men will do it without a law. 1673 E. Browne Trav. 130 Two sorts of Virgin Mercury; the one running out and discovering it self without labour, the other requiring some way of extraction and separation. 1731–8 Swift Pol. Conversat. Introd. 21 To pass the Evening without Cards. 1797 Coleridge Christabel i. 177 The moon shines dim..But they without its light can see The chamber carved so curiously. 1798 ― Anc. Mar. 169 Withouten wind, withouten tide, She steddies with upright keel. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. i. I. 150 The new parliament, which, having been called without the royal writ, is more accurately described as a convention. 1857 [see get v. 71 h]. 1865 Swinburne Masque of Queen Bersabe 92 [The rushes] Grew wet withouten foot of men. |
b. With no action or agency of (a person); esp. with no co-operation of, or support from.
| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. Prol. 44 Alle thyng thurgh his myght made he, For with-outen hym myght nathing be. 1382 Wyclif John xv. 5 For with outen me ȝe mown no thing do. c 1450 Merlin ii. 36 A childe born withouten fader. 1476 Stonor Papers (Camden) II. 19, I..saide..That..I coulde not answere that mateer without yow. 1535 Coverdale 2 Kings xviii. 25 Thinkest thou that I came vp hither without y⊇ Lorde to destroye these cities? 1592 in J. Morris Troubles Cath. Forefathers (1877) 28 Imprisoned for burying a Catholic without a minister. 1598 in Harington's Nugæ Ant. (1804) I. 176 To make peace withouten his allyes and friends. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 70 Without thee nothing lofty can I sing. 1712 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 13 Dec., We shall have a peace very soon; the Dutch are almost entirely agreed, and if they stop we shall make it without them. 1875 [see get v. 71 h]. Mod. Come and help me with this job; I can't do it without you. |
10. (with obj. an abstract thing, as a quality, attribute, action, condition, etc.): a. (depending on or referring to a verb) With absence or lack of, or freedom from; so that there is no{ddd}; often forming phrases equivalent to negative adverbs, e.g. without end = endlessly, without fail = unfailingly, without fear = fearlessly, without success = unsuccessfully, etc.
Frequent in ME. in intensive or expletive phrases, as without(en dread, without lease (lease n.2), without leasing, without let, without letting, without lie (lie n.1), without miss (miss n.1), without strife, etc. See also the various ns.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 143 Iwarpen ine eche pine, wiþuten alesinge, and wið-uten milce. c 1220 Bestiary 412 For to winnen fode, derflike wiðuten dred. a 1250 Owl & Night. 183 Wit-ute cheste and bute fiȝte. c 1275– [see delay n. 2 a]. 1297– [see fail n.2 1]. a 1300 Cursor M. 10407 Þai þat stad er in þair blis, Wit-vten want.., Wit-vten seke, wit-vten sare. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3429 Swa parfitely may nane lyf here, With-outen veniel syns sere. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiv. 237 He is neuere murie, Withoute mornynge amonge, and mischief to bote. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 281 Sche seith me nay withouten oth. a 1450 Myrc Par. Pr. 24 Say þy serues wyþowten hast. c 1450 Merlin 129 With⁓outen cause ye be not come hider. 1549 Compl. Scot. 5 Quhen he purchessis pace ande concord, vytht out diminutione of his rycht. a 1553 Udall Royster D. iv. vii. (Arb.) 74, I will take the lawe on hir withouten grace. 1614 Gorges Lucan vi. 219 Then Pompey's men withouten stop, Do mount vpon the trenches top. 1633 Earl of Manchester Al Mondo (1636) 162 It is just..that they who live without repentance, should dye without comfort. 1721 Ramsay Lucky Spence x, Nane gathers gear withoutten care. 1779 Mirror No. 57 ¶6, I hope I may say it without vanity. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. xxxi, Far as the eye discerns, withouten end. 1820 H. Maddock Rep. V.-C. Crt. V. 35 Stating..‘that the estates were to be sold without reserve.’ 1834 Newman Par. Serm. (1837) I. 101 Men can without trouble be brought to confess that they sin. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 540 Great doubt has been thrown on his integrity, but without sufficient reason. 1862 Law Jrnl. Rep. 31 Ch. 676 Primâ facie, a party writing a letter, and using the expression ‘without prejudice’, means that he is not to be prejudiced. 1881 M. E. Braddon Asph. III. 265 He..then let her go without a word. 1896 Kipling Seven Seas, Last Rhyme True Thomas 130, I do well To love my love withouten fear. |
b. (depending on or referring to a n.) Characterized by absence of, lacking or free from, not having: often forming phrases equivalent to negative adjs. e.g. without end = endless, without fear = fearless, without number († tale) = innumerable, etc.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 95 He deð þa þe beoð bilehwite and wið-utan ufelnesse. c 1230 Hali Meid. 15 He is leoflukest þing & wiðuten eauer euch bruche. a 1250 Owl & Night. 863 For nys no mon wiþvten sunne. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8903 Þi louerd ssal abbe an name..vair wiþoute blame. a 1300 Cursor M. 102 Mild and mek, witouten gall. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 4112 Neuere ne was he with-oute strif, Bot ay wykkeliche lyuede ys lyf. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 45 To grounde I was withoute breth. 14.. Tundale's Vis. 32 He was a man withoute pyte. 1509 Fisher Funeral Serm. C'tess Richmond Wks. (1876) 309 Be not sad..as men with⁓outen hope. 1626 Bacon Sylva §499 It is obserued by some, that there is a vertuous Bezoar, and another without vertue. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. i. iv. §1 There was a time, when the Mind was without those Principles. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 422 All sorts of Tools and Iron-work, they had without Tale. 1758 Hume Ess., Eloquence 66 'Tis vehement reasoning, without any appearance of art. 1859 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Jrnls. (1871) II. 284 It resembled an unspeakably bad dough nut, without any sweetening. 1869 Ruskin Q. of Air §77 They are white, without purity;..massive, without strength; and slender, without grace. |
c. With no possibility of; so, or such, as not to admit of; so, or such, that there can be no...
| a 1300 Cursor M. 25821 For þair wanhopping Þai fall wit⁓vten vp-couering. c 1470 Henry Wallace i. 113 Our men was slayne with outyn redemptioune. Ibid. 226 With out reskew he stekyt him to dede. 1530 Palsgr. 329/2 Without remedy, irremediable. 1670 [see clergy 6]. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 174 ¶14 These wounds..are without cure. 1762 Hume Hist. Eng., Jul. C. to Hen. VII, I. App. i. 151 The great lords and abbots among the Anglo-Saxons..could punish without appeal any thieves..they caught. 1766 [see remedy n. 3]. |
d. In such phrases as without comparison, without controversy, without doubt, † without nay, etc. the meaning app. varies between ‘beyond’ (sense 2 or 3) and ‘involving the absence of’, ‘not admitting of’, ‘so that there is or can be no{ddd}’.
| a 1300– [see doubt n.1 4 d]. 1340–1578 [see comparison n. 2 b]. 1547–1777 [see controversy n. 1 c]. 1557 N.T. (Geneva) Heb. vii. 7 Without all nay, he which is lesse, receaueth blessyng of hym which is greater. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xix. §3 These things are without Contradiction, and could not otherwise be. 1621–1709 [see compare n.1 2]. |
† e. without day = sine die. Obs.
| 1607 J. Cowell Interpr. s.v. Day, To be dismissed with out day, is to be finally discharged the court. 1713 Mod. Cases VI. 262 He doubted of the Effect of a Nolle Pros'..if it discharged the Indictment, or only put the Defendant without Day. |
11. a. Followed by a gerund or vbl. n. in -ing: equivalent to ‘so as not to’ or ‘and not’ with the corresponding vb., or ‘not’ with the pres. pple.; e.g. to pass by without seeing = ‘to pass by so as not to see’, ‘to pass by and not see’, ‘to pass by, not seeing’.
| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 2620 Tristrem is went oway Wiþ outen coming oȝain. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 144 He..wilned me were graunted Grace, wyth-outen any bede-byddynge. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2992 Tite, withoutyn tariyng, atirit were all. 1515 Reg. Privy Seal Scot. I. 407/1 To pas and repas als oft as thai ples..without ony..aresting. a 1548 Hall Chron., 14 Edw. IV, 235 The Frenche kyng..callyng for water, washed and rose without any answere makyng. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events To Rdr. a vij, Drones which do but humme about flowers, without gathering any honey from them. 1734 Berkeley Let. Wks. 1871 IV. 217, I can hardly stir abroad without catching cold. 1779 Mirror No. 2 ¶1 No child ever heard from its nurse the story of Jack the Giant Killer's cap of darkness, without envying the pleasures of invisibility. 1836 Dickens Sk. Boz, Shops & Tenants, We never passed at night without seeing the eldest girl at work. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 169 He was a slave without being a dupe. 1877 Ruskin St. Mark's Rest iv. §51 A solemn piece of old Venetian wall..which you might pass under twenty times without seeing. 1885 Law Times LXXIX. 119/2 No person was..to blast coal without the charge having been inspected by the underlooker. |
† b. Governing an infinitive with to. [After Fr., etc.]
| c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxii. 470 That we maye retourne agen hole and sounde..wythoute to be dyshonoured. 1556 J. de Flores' Aurelio & Isab. F 6, Without to see it whiche is written. |
c. By ellipsis of the gerund: Not counting, leaving out of account. colloq.
| 1871 Geo. Eliot Middlem. xxxv. II. 212 My father has enough to do to keep the rest, without me. |
† 12. without mo or without more: in various senses (see mo B. 3 c, more a. B. 4 c). Often used as a tag.
| c 1290, etc. [see mo, more, as above.]. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2573 Þe werwolf..went wiȝtly a-wei wit-oute any more. c 1350 Leg. Rood iii. 148 By þat ilk way went we twa, Þi moder and I with-outen ma. 14.. Guy Warw. (Camb. MS.) 719 Wythowytyn more forthe they rode. c 1470 Henry Wallace i. 61 Till Noram kirk he come with outyn mar. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxxiv. 89 The Deuill said then, withouttin mair, ‘Renunce ȝour God, and cum to me.’ |
13. In senses 7–11 often with conditional implication (mostly with negative, expressed or implied): If one have (or had) not, if there be (or were) not, unless one have or there be, in the absence of, in default of, ‘supposing the negation or omission of’ (J.).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 126 Na werc may stand Wit-outen grundwall to be lastand. 1387 Trevisa Higden III. 161 Noþer man ne womman schulde be punsched wiþ oute gilt. c 1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. 99 Þat swech þingis myte not be do witȝ-outen vertuous lyuyng. 1526 Tindale Heb. xi. 6 With out faith it is vnpossible to please him. 1661 Godolphin View Adm. Jurisd. Introd. a b, The Mariner..may not sail without one Cat or more in his Vessel. 1748 Thomson Cast. Indol. i. i, Withouten that would come an heavyer bale. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xv, What is genius or courage without an heart? 1834 Marryat Peter Simple xxxvii, Without a sense of your fault, how can repentance and amendment be expected? 1857 Buckle Civiliz. I. x. 617 The people believed that without the nobles there was no safety; the nobles believed that without the crown there was no honour. |
14. a. With ellipsis of the obj. (cf. 4). Now colloq. (except in contrast with with).
In negative contexts, as in quots. 1733, 1898, virtually = otherwise; this use is further extended in unstudied speech, e.g.: ‘You can go, if you can find somebody to go with,—not without’.
| c 1400 Rule St. Benet (prose) 16 Þe nihend-ferþe salme wid þe antefen ouþ ir wid-vten. 1597 Shakes. Lover's Compl. 98 Smal shew of man was yet vpon his chinne..Yet..nice affections wauering stood in doubt If best were as it was, or best without. 1654 D. Osborne Lett. (1888) 233 Here is a ring:..'tis indifferent whether there be any word in't or not; only 'tis as well without. 1672 Wiseman Wounds i. viii. 70 We threw out our Tent, and by Sarcoticks cured this wound without. 1681 T. Flatman Heraclitus Ridens No. 27 (1713) I. 178 Come, it is a great while since we had a Pindarick; have you never a one in your Budget? Earn. I am seldom without. 1720 Lady B. Germaine in C'tess Suffolk's Lett. (1824) I. 73 Though you should take the four [thousand pounds], still I shall have enough without. 1733 Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. vii. 26 All the former Roots being broken off at the Ends in taking up (for 'tis impossible to do it without). 1741 Richardson Pamela III. 27 Pray don't! You'll have enough on your hands without. 1800 E. Hervey Mourtray Fam. IV. 57 Well, promise nothing, Mr. Chowles; but do it without. 1834 Newman Lett. (1891) II. 48 [He] was afraid to tell me, and left Oxford without. 1878 E. A. Freeman Let. in W. R. W. Stephens Life & Lett. (1895) II. 161, I don't get any worship here; but I am better without. 1898 W. W. Jacobs Sea Urchins, Grey Parrot (1906) 208 You must have given him some encouragement... A man wouldn't offer to lend a lady his opera-glasses without. |
b. slang. in reference to liquor: Not mixed with sugar: cf. with prep. 26 b (b).
| 1835 Dickens Sk. Boz. River, Glasses of brandy-and-water cold without. 1837 Barham Ingol. Leg., Execution 71 There is ‘punch,’ ‘cold without,’ ‘hot with,’ ‘heavy wet.’ 1854 [see with prep. 26 b (b)]. |
15. Qualified by a negative: not without = not lacking, with or having some (implying or suggesting a somewhat slight or not very great amount).
Cf. not with negative adj. or adv. (not adv. 10 c).
| 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 42 Sa sure a havin..that nocht w{supt}out cause the historiographours named it, the Porte of saifgaird and saiftie. 1605 Shakes. Macb. i. v. 20 Thou would'st be great; Art not without Ambition. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. iv, Nor were we without guests. 1807 Southey Espriella's Lett. xxxvii. (1808) II. 71, I looked back upon Birmingham not without satisfaction at thinking I should never enter it again. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xi. III. 113 Many..were not without hopes that mild and liberal counsels might prevail. 1879 McCarthy Donna Q. I. 61 She remembered not without a pang that [etc.]. |
C. conj. (or in conjunctive phr.)
1. The prep. governing a clause introduced by that, so that without that becomes a conjunctional phr.: † a. (a) Except that. (b) In addition to the fact that. Obs. rare.
| c 1200 Ormin 1022 Þatt waȝherifft wass henngedd tær, forr þatt itt hidenn shollde All þatt tatt tær wiþþinnenn wass..Wiþþutenn þatt te bisscopp sellf..Þær shollde cumenn o þe ȝer ann siþe, & all himm ane. 1489 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 145 Laide downe in redy siluer for rybbanis to the King,..withowte at the Master of the Wardrop hes boycht v dussane of rybbanis..summa iijli. |
b. (in sense B. 10) Without its being the case that: now expressed by the construction with gerund (B. 11), with or without poss., e.g. without that you shall need = ‘without your needing’; without that he led me = ‘without leading me’. Now rare or Obs.
| c 1450 in W. T. Barbour Hist. Contract (1914) 201 Withoute þat ever eny accord..were made or had bitwene þe seid John Mercer and John Halsnoth. 1471 Fortescue Wks. (1869) 525 Sainte Edwarde reyned..peseably..with oute eny clayme made vppon him, by hyr, or by her husbande, and with outen that eny of ther heirs have claymed this londe. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxvi. 560 The speres flew in peces wythout that ony of theym felle to the grounde. 1594 R. Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits xiii. (1596) 203 Himselfe will deliuer them into your hands, without that you shall need to conquer them. 1596 Danett tr. Comines (1614) 86, The captaine at the castell gate..offred me a cup of wine, without that he led mee into the castell as he was accustomed. a 1648 Ld. Herbert Hen. VIII (1683) 162 This seemed to be done, without that the King was fully informed thereof. Ibid. 230 Your Actions (without that I or any else speak of them) make you a lyar. 1853 C. Brontë Villette xii, It was next to impossible that a casket could be thrown into her garden..without..that she should have caught intimation [etc.]. |
† c. (with conditional implication as in B. 13) If it be or were not the case that, unless: = 2. Obs.
| c 1440 Generydes 475 Withoute that she myght have his loue ageyn, She were on don for euere in certayne. c 1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. ii. 4 This myth not be do with⁓outen þat þei had substauns of possession. 1523 Q. Marg. in M. A. E. Green Lett. Royal Ladies (1846) I. 266 (MS.) The lordes wilbe..ferd to leve the governours wayes, with⁓out that they may fynd some suyrtie to take ther partt. |
† d. without that (or this) that: legal phr. introducing an exception, spec. in pleading [tr. law-L. absque hoc quod, law-Fr. sans ceo que], a form, obsolete since 1852, whereby a defendant asserted special matter of exception or justification against the plaintiff's claim while reserving his denial of the whole cause of action.
| 1518 Star Chamber Cases (Selden Soc.) II. 150 That all the said mesuages and lendes shuld be in the rule..of the Chamberleyne..Without that that the said mesuages and londes extend to the yerely value of cxl li. 1592 B.N.C. (Oxf.) Docts. B 2 37 (MS.) Without that, that H.P. was never properly enfeoffed. 1601 W. Fulbecke 1st Pt. Parall. 72 b, The plaintife replyed, that..the defendant..assaulted him and beate him..and the defendant reioined that..by their common accorde they played together, without that that he beate him in other maner. 1651 tr. Kitchin's Jurisd. (1653) 422 Conspiracy, he is alive, with out that, that he is dead. Ibid. 423 Where one pleads out of his Fee, the other saith within, without that, that it was out in manner and forme. 1824 H. J. Stephen Treat. Princ. Pleading ii. 211 The defendants delivered their petition to the common council, complaining of an undue election; without this that the jurisdiction..belonged to the court of the mayor and aldermen. |
2. Hence, by omission of that, simply as a conjunction: If..not, except, unless. Also, chiefly in U.S. dial. use: unless, without its being the case that.
Formerly common in literary use, most frequently with verb in subjunctive; later colloq. (‘not in use, except in conversation’ J. 1755) or arch., and now chiefly illiterate. Often replaceable by the const. with gerund (B. 11), e.g. without he be compelled = ‘without being compelled’; esp. with clause referring to an attendant circumstance or result rather than a condition, as in quot. 1467.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. v. 176 Quath conscience to þe kynge with-oute þe comune help, Hit is ful hard..þer-to hit to brynge. 1467 Marg. Paston in P. Lett. II. 308 If I wer ther withought I had the mor..wurchepfull persones abought me..it shuld be to me but a vylney. 1477 Stonor Papers (Camden) II. 28 She is displeside and I know nat whereffore, with owte hir olde sekenes be fallen on hir agayn. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) I. xii. 12 All the moost parte of the realme were right joyouse, withoute it were a fewe parsones..fauourable to syr Hewe Spencer. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. i. xii. (1553) C iij b, Good workes to godwarde woorketh no man without god woorke with him. 1565 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 410 [He] will nocht deliver..the said hors without he be compellit. 1591 Shakes. Com. Err. iii. ii. 92 Such a one, as a man may not speake of, without he say sir reuerence. a 1643 J. Shute Judgem. & Mercy (1645) 129 He may barke, but he cannot bite without a man come within his reach. 1695 Congreve Love for L. iv. i, If he can't be cur'd without I suck the Poyson from his Wounds. 1754 J. Shebbeare Matrimony (1766) I. 143 Do not think of marrying this young Lady, without you are convinced you can love her. 1787 Beattie Scoticisms 101, I will not go without I am paid for it. Scottish and obsolete and vulgar English. 1802 E. Parsons Myst. Visit III. 51, I shall never intrude without you invite me. a 1814 Fam. Politics ii. i. in New Brit. Theatre II. 207 I'm but a working woman, and cannot live without I gets my due. 1834 T. Arnold Let. 14 Apr. in Stanley Life (1898) I. vii. 328 Not allowing God's seal, without it be countersigned by one of their own forging. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 1411 Not without She wills it. 1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie V. xv. (1891) 211, I know these people.., so as all the science in the world can't know them, without it takes time about it. 1867 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. p. lvii, I don't git much done 'thout I bogue right in along 'th my men. 1868 J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. I. 437 No canons were to become law without they were assented to..by the crown. 1887 Daily News 21 Nov. 2/7 Without a great change takes place the meeting is sure to commence to-morrow. 1903 ‘T. Collins’ Such is Life (1937) i. 51 A man shouldn't make a dog of his self without he's well paid for it. That's my religion. 1955 F. O'Connor Wise Blood iii. 52 Everything she looked at was that child... She couldn't lie with that man without she saw it. 1962 E. Albee Who's Afraid of V. Woolf? (1964) i. 51 Man can put up with only so much without he descends a rung or two on the old evolutionary ladder. 1984 A. Carter Nights at Circus ii. 46 No two deaths without a third follows. |
D. n. That which is external; the outside. rare.
| 1899 C. F. d'Arcy Ideal. & Theol. Introd. 22 Necessity is determination from without, determination by the not-self. It belongs therefore to whatever has a ‘without.’ 1938 [see within n.]. |
Add: [B.] [14.] c. In negative contexts: lacking some resource or quality, esp. money; poor, destitute. colloq.
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 741 Henry Dunbar by that other woman I lent him afterwards with Mulveys photo in it so as he see I wasnt without. 1971 ‘G. North’ No Choice for Sgt. Cluff ii. 24 ‘Norah and Fred aren't without.’ ‘They've had to sweat for it.’ 1986 New Yorker 24 Feb. 47 (caption), I really am very pleased with the dress I bought. It makes me feel not so dumpy and without. |
▪ II. without
obs. pa. tense of withhold v.