do without

do without — phrasal verb

1. to manage to live, work, or continue in a situation where you do not have a part

1.片語動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to manage to live, work, or continue in a situation where you do not have a particular thing that you normally need or want — for example, not buying something because you cannot afford it, finishing a task even though a tool is missing, or accepting the absence of a person who usually helps.

例句

Aisha's car broke down, so she had to do without it for two weeks.

have to + do without + pronoun (it)

When Julio lost his job, the family learned to do without luxuries like eating out.

do without + noun phrase (luxuries)

同義詞
  • go without

    more common in British English; interchangeable in most contexts but emphasises the absence as an active choice or necessity

  • manage without

    slightly more formal than 'do without'; stresses the coping aspect

  • forgo

    more formal and deliberate; implies a voluntary choice to give something up, not merely an enforced absence

反義詞
  • have

    direct opposite; having the thing versus not having it

  • enjoy

    contrasts the lack with active possession and use

文法句型

do without + noun phrase

do without + pronoun (it, them)

do without (intransitive — object implied by context)

can't/couldn't do without + noun phrase (strong necessity)

用法筆記

Frequently used with modal verbs. When transitive, the object is a thing or a situation the speaker finds difficult to tolerate (affirmative) or impossible to miss (negative). The intransitive use relies on context to make clear what is being done without.

常見錯誤

❌I can do without you help.
✅I can do without your help.
💡'without' is a preposition and must be followed by an object (noun, pronoun, or gerund).
❌We did without to have a car for a year.
✅We did without a car for a year.
💡'do without' takes a direct object; do not insert 'to have' between the verb and the object.

❌ 'She did without it for the weekend and managed fine.' (correct but missing modal) — 'did without' is grammatically acceptable in past-tense narratives, but in everyday speech a modal (had to, could) is far more common.