Do without means to manage without something or someone, to cope when you don't have it. The second use comes in the form could do without: people use it to complain about something annoying, meaning 'I'd be happier without it': I could do without all this paperwork.
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do without + noun/-ing; can't do without + noun; could do without + noun (= it annoys me)
- When we first moved, we had to do without a washing machine for a month.
- I could do without this traffic jam when I'm already late for work.
- Most of us could do without a car if the buses ran more often.
What changed
First versionI can't without coffee in the morning, so I always make a big cup.
RevisionI can't do without coffee in the morning, so I always make a big cup.
After can't, English needs a main verb, or the sentence is left unfinished: I can't without coffee doesn't say what you can't do. Adding do gives the full phrase: can't do without.
Don't confuse could do without with could do with. I could do with a holiday means 'a holiday would really help right now'. I could do without the noise means 'I'd be much happier without this noise': in other words, it's bothering you.
Your turn
My laptop crashed an hour before the deadline. I could really ___ this kind of stress.
Show the answer
do without — A crashed laptop before a deadline is extra stress you'd gladly live without: could do without. Could do with means 'I'd welcome it', and nobody wishes stress on themselves.
Write about a thing or habit you can't do without. Use can't do without and explain why you need it.
I can't do without my bike, because it's the quickest way to get to work in the city centre.
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