cold turkey

1 of 2

noun

1

: abrupt complete cessation of the use of an addictive drug

also : the symptoms experienced by a person undergoing withdrawal from a drug

2

: unrelieved blunt language or procedure

3

: a cold aloof person

cold-turkey

ˈkōld-ˈtər-kē 

transitive verb

cold turkey

2 of 2

adverb

: all at once : abruptly: such as

a

: without a period of gradual adjustment, adaptation, or withdrawal

quit smoking cold turkey

b

: without preparation

a new player who started the season cold turkey

Synonyms

Noun

• cold fish
• iceberg
• icicle

Examples of cold turkey in a Sentence

Noun

I tried lots of ways to stop smoking, even cold turkey.

my new boss is a cold turkey and definitely not one for chitchat

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Even with his cold turkey approach, Ryan might not be an outlier. —Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Some people saved their ration, making a small cake once every couple of weeks; others tried various expedients, from substituting carrots and parsnips to just going cold turkey. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Adverb

The girls’ trip turns into a kind of unintended intervention, even a detox, especially once she’s deprived of her phone and forced to go cold turkey. —Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2022

He’s tried going cold turkey by himself and in clean and sober facilities. —Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1941, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cold turkey

noun

cold tur·​key -ˈtər-kē 

: abrupt complete cessation of the use of an addictive drug

also : the symptoms experienced by one undergoing withdrawal from a drug

cold-turkey adverb or transitive verb