w/o
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Without |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical, Sports |
| Also written | W/O |
w/o has two meanings. It stands for Without (nursing) or Walkover (other sports).
Meanings of w/o at a glance
| # | w/o stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Without | Medical › Nursing |
| 2 | Walkover | Sports › Other Sports |
1. Without
Medical · Nursing Abbreviations · also used in general use
Charting shorthand for "without", used to record absent symptoms, unmet conditions or care given without a device or help. It is common in pertinent negatives, such as pain without radiation or walking without assistance.
Example: Abdominal pain w/o nausea, vomiting, fever or change in bowel habits.
The traditional symbol is an s with a bar over it, from Latin sine. Because barred letters and slashes are easily misread, ISMP discourages them in medication orders, and most policies limit w/o to narrative documentation. It is always read aloud as the word "without", never letter by letter.
2. Walkover (W/O)
Sports · Other Sports Abbreviations
Result awarded when a player or team cannot compete, typically due to injury or illness, so the opponent advances without playing. Common in tennis draws and knockout tournaments.
Example: The second seed advanced to the semifinals via W/O after his opponent withdrew with a wrist injury.
In tennis, a walkover does not count as a win for ranking or head-to-head purposes, unlike a retirement during a match. The term originally came from horse racing, where a lone entrant could walk over the course to claim the prize.
Related abbreviations
More nursing abbreviations
- A&Ox3 – Alert and oriented times three
- A&Ox4 – Alert and oriented times four
- AAT – Activity as tolerated
- ADAT – Advance diet as tolerated
- ADPIE – Assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation
- amb – Ambulate (ambulatory)
- BCMA – Barcode medication administration
- BR – Bed rest
See all 90 nursing abbreviations →
More other sports abbreviations
- TMO – Television match official
- UD – Unanimous decision
- UE – Unforced error
- VSC – Virtual safety car
- WC – Wild card
- WD – Withdrew
- WR – World record
- XC – Cross-country
See all 63 other sports abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.