detox
Americanverb (used without object)
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detoxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detoxed,
past participle, past
-
detoxing
present participle
-
to rid the body or a bodily organ of a poison, toxin, or drug (often followed byfrom ).
You should detox from alcohol under medical care, as acute alcohol withdrawal can cause delirium or seizures.
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to undergo a period of treatment to overcome physical and psychological dependence on alcohol or drugs.
The drug is often prescribed to aid recovering opiate addicts as they detox and heal.
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to take a deliberate break from an activity or practice believed to be harmful or addictive.
I tried digitally detoxing while I was on vacation—I didn't touch a computer or social media at all.
verb (used with object)
-
detoxes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detoxed,
past participle, past
-
detoxing
present participle
-
to remove toxins, drugs, or other harmful substances from (the body or a bodily organ).
Here are some foods and spices that are believed to strengthen the immune system, improve digestion, and detox the liver.
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to remove (toxins, drugs, or other harmful substances) from the body or a bodily organ.
They claim that using the sauna regularly may detox heavy metals and toxic chemicals, lower blood pressure, and improve heart health.
noun
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detoxes
plural
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the process of ridding the body or a bodily organ of a poison, toxin, or drug; detoxification.
One of the first steps in addiction treatment is detox, removing the drug from the patient's system through a medically supervised withdrawal process.
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Also called detoxification. a program of treatment or a medical or therapeutic facility for helping a person overcome physical and psychological dependence on alcohol or drugs; rehab.
Here’s yet another clickbait story about a celebrity going into detox.
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a treatment, diet, program, etc., intended to remove toxins from the body or from a specific bodily organ.
This clay mask is perfect for a skin detox, providing your skin with a chance to renew itself and regenerate skin cells.
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a deliberate break or time away from an activity or practice believed to be harmful or addictive.
Is a digital detox really necessary?
adjective
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of or relating to a period of treatment or a medical or therapeutic facility in which a person is helped to overcome physical and psychological dependence on alcohol or drugs.
Detox therapy can range in length, but most programs take about ten days.
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of or relating to a treatment, diet, program, etc., intended to remove toxins from the body or from a specific bodily organ.
Changing your diet will help, but a colon detox program might also improve your symptoms.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detoxsimple
-
detoxessimple
-
have detoxedperfect
-
has detoxedperfect
-
am detoxingprogressive
-
are detoxingprogressive
-
is detoxingprogressive
-
have been detoxingperfect progressive
-
has been detoxingperfect progressive
Past
-
detoxedsimple
-
had detoxedperfect
-
was detoxingprogressive
-
were detoxingprogressive
-
had been detoxingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of detox
An Americanism dating back to 1970–75; by shortening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I think of this as a detox, for both the financial markets and financial journalists,” Bessent said of Warsh’s strategy of not hinting about the direction of rate policy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Jonathan Haidt has become a leading advocate for a regular digital detox.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
But sometimes, he says, it's nice to have a digital detox without his phone pinging.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
And when the detox ended, his daily screen time dropped from six to four hours, roughly in line with the average for American adults.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
In fact I feel irritated and can’t help wondering whether I could have gotten the same result without spending $30 and three days on detox and bloat.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
And new tools are available to make that happen: digital detox apps, phone-blocking gadgets, and groups, such as the one in Washington, that facilitate month-long detoxes.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
But if digital detoxes don’t work, what does?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
He says digital detoxes, like going phone-free for a day or a weekend, are useful to learn how much you rely on technology and how you feel when you aren’t using it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Shafransky says to think of digital detoxes as a diet for your finances.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
Even regular detoxes once a week, you still go back the rest of the week.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2023
She underwent insulin-potentiated chemotherapy, detoxed and did more alternative treatments that brought the cancer down to Stage 2 in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
By 2020, staffer Louis Theroux tells me proudly, the detoxed grounds will be the city’s second largest park.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2015
Should you be in need of some detoxing, here are four twisty, gripping stories to make you forget about that heated argument at dinner.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
You’re going to yoga for flexibility, and maybe you’re detoxing to balance your microbiome.
From Washington Post ● May 23, 2022
Then we need to start to think about pulling back, like taking breaks every couple of hours, digitally detoxing, going outside, putting on music.
From Reuters ● Dec. 27, 2021
“We’re clocking over 10 hours a day on average in front of computers and devices,” says Mandi Vance of Kakadu Dream, a line dedicated to detoxing skin from the hazards of “modern digital life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2020
I founded the Cancer Schmancer movement, and a big cornerstone of our organization is detoxing your life.
From Salon ● May 2, 2019
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
