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

As with other times of struggle, as with other times when basic needs are made difficult or impossible to meet for some, good parents do without so their children won’t have to. —Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026

Building a website, creating professional product imagery, testing ideas, and running marketing campaigns can all be done without agencies or large upfront expenses. —Alison Coleman, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

But the intermission that the set change demands seems like an intrusion in a play that could do without the realistic detail. —Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026

But above all, the fact that the rewrites were done without public knowledge could be the most damaging, said Huff. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 28 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for do without

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