cold turkey

[ kohld-tur-kee ]
See synonyms for cold turkey on Thesaurus.com
nounInformal.
  1. abrupt and complete withdrawal from the use of an addictive substance, as a narcotic drug, alcohol, or tobacco.

Idioms about cold turkey

  1. 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

1
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

Other definitions for cold-turkey (2 of 2)

cold-turkey
[ kohld-tur-kee ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to withdraw from (an addictive substance or a habit) abruptly and completely.

verb (used without object)
  1. to withdraw from an addictive substance or a habit abruptly and completely.

adjective
  1. abrupt and complete: cold-turkey withdrawal from drugs.

Origin of cold-turkey

2
First recorded in 1910–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cold turkey in a sentence

  • Quitting cold turkey "had serious physical and psychological effects" that were "extremely negative and lasted a long time."

  • After two weeks of cold turkey, I sensed he was faltering and bought him some Nicotine gum.

  • Tootles, said Flick severely, put the cold soup, the cold turkey and the cold pig upon the table.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • The alehouse was kept by that cousin of Felix's who was so fond of 'delicate cold turkey,' and who had such choice cherry-brandy.

    The Parent's Assistant | Maria Edgeworth
  • In a few minutes, a small table, furnished with a cold turkey and a decanter of wine, was laid for her in the bower.

    The Heroine | Eaton Stannard Barrett
  • Cut the cold turkey meat into dice and mix it with twice the quantity of diced celery and one cupful of broken walnut meats.

    Breakfasts and Teas | Paul Pierce
  • Take a cold roast-beef bone, pieces of beefsteak, the rack of a cold turkey or chicken.

    The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887) | Mrs. F.L. Gillette

British Dictionary definitions for cold turkey

cold turkey

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

  2. 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.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.