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cold turkey

noun

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

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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 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 For advertisers, going cold turkey on clicks means shifting strategy from traffic quantity to conversion quality. — Ivan Doruda, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cold turkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold turkey
  1. clam
  2. cold fish
  3. stick
  4. iceberg
Noun
  • And the vongole, an instant take on the famous clam pasta, is an unexpected delight.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The fallout has been steep, resulting in shredded nets, decimated clam beds and mussel stocks, and hundreds of shuttered fisheries along the Italian coast.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of clam
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
Definition of cold fish
Noun
  • An average stick is now $200, Merola said, with high-end versions ranging up to $400.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • That young lad would gave the old lady the unfortunate hit stick would be UMass stud safety Jahmad Harmon, for those who aren't up to date on all things Minutemen football.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of stick
Noun
  • Nobel Laureate for chemistry, Max Perutz, pointed out that natural icebergs were neither big enough nor stable enough to do the job safely, leaving Pyke to consider novel ways to turn water into a novel building material.
    — Mike McRae September 16, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
  • This hearty meal for two, with no cooking required, is made of a mountain of radicchio, iceberg, red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, salami, provolone cheese and chickpeas and tossed in a tangy red wine oregano vinaigrette.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of iceberg

Browse Nearby Words

cold sweat
cold turkey
cold war
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Cite this Entry

“Cold turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20turkey. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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