If someone or something is sans another thing, they lack the other thing.
[informal]
She would not be happy with people seeing her sans makeup.
sans in British English
(sænz)
preposition
an archaic word for without
Word origin
C13: from Old French sanz, from Latin sine without, but probably also influenced by Latin absentiā in the absence of
Sans. in British English
or Sansk.
abbreviation for
Sanskrit
Sanskrit in British English
(ˈsænskrɪt)
noun
an ancient language of India, the language of the Vedas, of Hinduism, and of an extensive philosophical and scientific literature dating from the beginning of the first millennium bc. It is the oldest recorded member of the Indic branch of the Indo-European family of languages; recognition of the existence of the Indo-European family arose in the 18th century from a comparison of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin. Although it is used only for religious purposes, it is one of the official languagesof India
Sans in American English
Sanskrit
sans in American English
(sænz; French sɑ̃)
preposition
without; lacking
Word origin
ME saun < OFr sanz (Fr sans) < L sine, without: form infl. by L absentia, in the absence of, abl.: see absence
Examples of 'sans' in a sentence
sans
She came back slightly after 15.00, sans Sailor, two shopping bags full of stuff in her arms.
Terman, Douglas CORMORANT (2002)
Even sans maquillage, this goddess of the coffee pot would have any man hornily salivating.
Alex George LOVE YOU MADLY (2002)
And I think, Oh-oh... If I was the suspicious type I'd suspect them of fixing up a rendezvous, sans moi.
Trenhalle, John A MEANS TO EVIL (2002)
All related terms of 'sans'
san
an aboriginal people of southern Africa
sans doute
without doubt ; certainly
sans serif
a style of printer's typeface in which the characters have no serifs