do without

phrasal verb

did without; done without; doing without; does without

: to not have (something) : to live, work, etc., without having (something)

If you can't afford a new car, you'll just have to do without (one).

I don't know how we ever did without computers.

—can/could do without is often used to say that one does not like or approve of something

I enjoy traveling, but I can do without having to wait around in crowded airports.

He was late again. That's the kind of selfish behavior I could do without.

Examples of do without in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kids need to have belly laughs and almost pee their pants when reading—which is something that few other authors besides Seuss can do without invoking potty humor. —Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025

Workers who are using AI to do their job are rated as less competent than those who are not, even if the AI users are transparent about their methods, and even if the quality of the work done with AI is identical to the quality of that done without, new research suggests. —Josie Cox, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

But now his day-to-day injury will have him out for at least 10 days, and the Twins will have to make do without their most-impactful player. —Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 29 July 2025

The vibrant town of around 57,000 strikes the perfect balance of having just enough to do without be overwhelming to a weekend visitor. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 26 July 2025

Rhymes for do without

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout