sans

¹ American  

[sanz, sahn] / sænz, sɑ̃ /

preposition

1. without.

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Sans. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Sanskrit.

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Sans. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Sanskrit

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sans ² British  

/ sænz /

preposition

1. an archaic word for without

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Etymology

Origin of sans

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old French sans, earlier sens, seinz, a conflation of Latin sine “without” and absentiā “in the absence of” (ablative of absentia absence )

Explanation

If you have a friend who hates onions, chances are they order their food at restaurants sans onions — meaning without them. The word sans comes from the French word that means "without." People often use sans in a playful manner or when they want to sound fancy. For example, someone might say, "I'll take my coffee sans cream," to mean they don't want cream. It just sounds a bit more sophisticated.

Example Sentences

Even the straight comedy sets, sans interactive therapy, were shot through with intimate admissions, albeit humorous ones.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Salon Food spoke with Chef Stephen Chavez, Senior Chef-Instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education’s Los Angeles campus, who offered his go-to tips on how to cook sans any chopped onions.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

Major works like “Le Marteau sans Maître,” “Pli Selon Pli,” “. . . Explosante-Fixe. . . ” and the Second Piano Sonata are naturally included, but so are lesser-known pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Still, you’re making some smart choices sans budgeting.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 31, 2025

He threw me one of those sans souci smiles he’d been tossing at me since the beginning of the year.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• bare
• barren
• lacking
• vacant