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
: 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
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
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 19 Mar. 2025
If Fox’s balance sheet allows it to be relatively unbothered by the threat of a pharma ban, the more vested networks aren’t exactly gearing up for cold turkey withdrawal pains.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for cold turkey
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Noun
Going off the drugs cold turkey, as Parker Posey’s character does, could lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms in real life.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 19 Mar. 2025
If Fox’s balance sheet allows it to be relatively unbothered by the threat of a pharma ban, the more vested networks aren’t exactly gearing up for cold turkey withdrawal pains.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 28 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for cold turkey
Cite this Entry
“Cold turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20turkey. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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