Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

4 PREP If something is within a particular limit or set of rules, it does not go beyond it or is not more than what is allowed. □  Troops have agreed to stay within specific boundaries to avoid confrontations. □  Exercise within your comfortable limit.

5 PREP If you are within a particular distance of a place, you are less than that distance from it. □  The man was within a few feet of him. □  It was within easy walking distance of the hotel.

6 PREP Within a particular length of time means before that length of time has passed. □  About 40% of all students entering as freshmen graduate within 4 years. □  Within 24 hours the deal was completed.

7 PREP If something is within sight , within earshot , or within reach , you can see it, hear it, or reach it. □  His boat was moored within sight of West Church. □  The people at every table within earshot fell silent instantly.

8within reason → see reason

wi th it also with-it

1 ADJ If you say that someone is with it , you mean that they are fashionable or know about new things, especially in culture. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ]

2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If someone is not with it , they do not feel alert and therefore fail to understand things. [INFORMAL ] □  She wasn't really with it. She hadn't taken in the practical consequences.

with|out ◆◆◆ /w I ðaʊ t/ In addition to the uses shown below, without is used in the phrasal verbs 'do without', 'go without', and 'reckon without'. 1 PREP You use without to indicate that someone or something does not have or use the thing mentioned. □  I don't like myself without a beard. □  She wore a brown shirt pressed without a wrinkle.

2 PREP If one thing happens without another thing, or if you do something without doing something else, the second thing does not happen or occur. □  He was offered a generous pension provided he left without a fuss. □  They worked without a break until about eight in the evening. □  Alex had done this without consulting her.

3 PREP If you do something without a particular feeling, you do not have that feeling when you do it. □  Janet Magnusson watched his approach without enthusiasm. □  'Hello, Swanson,' he said without surprise.

4 PREP If you do something without someone else, they are not in the same place as you are or are not involved in the same action as you. □  I told Franklin he would have to start dinner without me. □  How can I rebuild my life without you?

wi th-pro fits ADJ [ADJ n] A with-profits savings scheme or financial plan is one in which the people who put money into the scheme receive extra money each year based on how successful the investment has been. [BUSINESS ] □  Returns on with-profits bonds have improved.

with|stand /w I ðstæ nd/ (withstands , withstanding , withstood /w I ðstʊ d/) VERB If something or someone withstands a force or action, they survive it or do not give in to it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] …armoured vehicles designed to withstand chemical attack.

wit|less /w I tləs/ ADJ If you describe something or someone as witless , you mean that they are very foolish or stupid. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  …a witless, nasty piece of journalism.

wit|ness ◆◇◇ /w I tnəs/ (witnesses , witnessing , witnessed )

1 N‑COUNT A witness to an event such as an accident or crime is a person who saw it. □ [+ to ] Witnesses to the crash say they saw an explosion just before the disaster. □  No witnesses have come forward.

2 VERB If you witness something, you see it happen. □ [V n] Anyone who witnessed the attack should call the police.