detox
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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
-
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
Before the detox, Bobby Loomis, 25, who works in real estate, struggled to watch even a single episode of a TV series without checking his phone.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Russia’s communications watchdog touted their benefits last year in a cartoon comparing them to a form of digital detox, urging Russians to log off and “find connection with yourself.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
But what happens when the detox is over and the chorus of text pings, slack dings and social media notifications swells throughout the rest of the year?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
SABIO, BEX: The door will open when the detox procedure is over, remember?
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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
Digital detoxes don’t work, says author Paul Leonardi, a professor of technology management at UC Santa Barbara, because they’re temporary fixes that don’t address our underlying tendencies and tech habits.
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
She decided to “keep” her tumor and work it out of her body a different way, including detoxing, completely changing her diet and working on her “emotional landscapes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
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
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
I founded the Cancer Schmancer movement, and a big cornerstone of our organization is detoxing your life.
From Salon ● May 2, 2019
They could then follow up with eight years of formation, beginning with a year dedicated to detoxing from the culture and social media, growth in self-knowledge, prayer and a secure masculine identity.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2018
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.
