cold turkey

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

Synonyms of cold turkey

• clam
• cold fish
• stick
• iceberg

Examples of cold turkey in a Sentence

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

Unfortunately, going cold turkey off a central nervous system depressant like GHB has some pretty unfortunate side-effects. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 3 June 2026

Even if head coach Mike Elko and his staff stopped recruiting cold turkey today and didn't pick up their phones until after signing day, this class would already be in some rarefied air. —Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026

The step-by-step approach matters because going cold turkey rarely sticks. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026

The food menu has salads and breakfast sandwiches, paninis and burritos ($11-$15), as well as a lone cold turkey club. —John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cold turkey

• jerky
• murky
• perky
• quirky
• turki

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