cold turkey

[ kohld-tur-kee ]

/ ˈkoʊld ˈtɜr ki /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for cold turkey on Thesaurus.com

noun Informal.

abrupt and complete withdrawal from the use of an addictive substance, as a narcotic drug, alcohol, or tobacco.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about cold turkey

go cold turkey, Informal.

to stop using an addictive substance abruptly and completely.
to undergo sudden and complete withdrawal from a habitual activity or behavior pattern.
to begin or do something without planning, preparation, or practice.

Origin of cold turkey

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; probably from the phrase to talk cold turkey “to speak bluntly about something unpleasant,” variant of to talk turkey;see turkey

Words nearby cold turkey

cold store, Coldstream, Coldstream Guards, cold sweat, cold tone, cold turkey, cold type, cold wall effect, cold war, cold warrior, cold-water

Other definitions for cold turkey (2 of 2)

cold-turkey

[ kohld-tur-kee ]

/ ˈkoʊldˈtɜr ki /

Slang.

verb (used with object)

to withdraw from (an addictive substance or a habit) abruptly and completely.

verb (used without object)

to withdraw from an addictive substance or a habit abruptly and completely.

adjective

abrupt and complete: cold-turkey withdrawal from drugs.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cold turkey in a sentence

She quit the protests cold turkey in October, found a spiritual adviser, started to channel her desire to burn the system down into building up her community.
One year after George Floyd’s death sparked a movement, many protesters’ lives are forever changed|Marissa Lang|May 28, 2021|Washington Post
While most moderate drinkers can handle withdrawal symptoms on their own, if you are truly alcohol-dependent, quitting cold turkey may not actually be safe.
We’re a Year into COVID. We Still Drink Too Much.|AC Shilton|February 18, 2021|Outside Online
This is comedy based on a cold humor, detached, euphemistic, devoid of any generosity.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We indulge in expensive cold-pressed juices and SoulCycle classes, justifying these purchases as investments in our health.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Cold War fears could be manipulated through misleading art to attract readers to daunting material.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The vaccine is delivered through a “carrier virus” that causes a common cold in chimpanzees but does not affect humans.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile two kids were taken from their mother when she flew back to the UK from Turkey.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis|Nico Hines|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Madame de Condillac stood watching him, her face composed, her glance cold.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Being quieted by the Captain with a draught of cold tea, and made to sit down, the examination of the book proceeded.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
When alone she sometimes picked it up and kissed the cold glass passionately.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Such throats are trying, are they not?In case one catches cold; Ah, yes!
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
Turn we our backs to the cold gloomy north, to the wet windy west, to the dry parching east—on to the south!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cold turkey

cold turkey

noun

slang a method of curing drug addiction by abrupt withdrawal of all doses

the withdrawal symptoms, esp nausea and shivering, brought on by this method

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for cold turkey

cold turkey

To “go cold turkey” is to withdraw suddenly and completely from an addictive substance or some other form of dependency: “Many people who attempt to quit smoking do so by going cold turkey rather than by gradually cutting down.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with cold turkey

cold turkey

Immediate, complete withdrawal from something, especially an addictive substance; also, without planning or preparation. For example, My bad shoulder forced me to quit playing tennis cold turkey, or I'd never done any rock climbing, but decided to try it cold turkey. This term may have come from the earlier expression talk turkey (for blunt speaking). At first used strictly for abrupt withdrawal from drugs or alcohol, it soon was transferred to quitting any habit or activity. [Early 1900s]

cold turkey

Idioms about cold turkey

Origin of cold turkey

Words nearby cold turkey

Other definitions for cold turkey (2 of 2)

Words related to cold turkey

How to use cold turkey in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cold turkey

Cultural definitions for cold turkey

Other Idioms and Phrases with cold turkey