cold turkey

Definition of cold turkeynext
as in clam
a cold aloof person my new boss is a cold turkey and definitely not one for chitchat

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cold turkey At first, the idea of going cold turkey is jarring and scary. Lauren Decarlo, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Jan. 2026 Going cold turkey is, often, an onerous way of quitting something completely and suddenly. Natalie Escobar, NPR, 26 Nov. 2025 But unlike nicotine or narcotics, food is something that all people need to survive, so quitting cold turkey isn’t an option. Claire Wilcox, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025 Don’t quit everything you are involved with cold turkey. Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cold turkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold turkey
Noun
  • There's nothing the couple loves more than pulling off the road to enjoy a local diner or small clam shack.
    Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2026
  • One was for best zeppole (Felicia's in East Greenwich won) and best clam shack (Roy Boy's in North Kingstown won).
    Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • That impulse extends to dealing with occasional rude customers at her day gig, where the coworkers are nice but the boss, family-business heir Maxwell Sterling (Peter Serafinowicz), is one nasty cold fish.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
  • Lancelot, still the Round Table’s greatest hero, is a bit of a cold fish with an unexpected role to play as the saga winds to its close.
    Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
Noun
  • This anti-chafing stick from MegaBabe is my go-to to prevent soreness in the inner thigh area, where legs tend to rub together.
    Terri Peters, Parents, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Then a right cross with stick still in hand.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica.
    Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
  • And not to rest until the iceberg is fully avoided—or removed.
    Phillip Atiba Solomon, Time, 24 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cold turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20turkey. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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