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 In a Journal Sentinel interview, one parent raised concerns that the clinics are abandoning ongoing treatments, such as hormone replacement therapy, leaving children to go cold turkey after years of taking either estrogen or testosterone. Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 12 Jan. 2026 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 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 a raw bar with oysters, ceviche and the Seafood Colosseum with oysters, lobster, mussels, clams and the ceviche of the day with caviar.
    Connie Ogle May 15, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
  • Besides the clam chowder, make sure to order the Big Dean’s Cheeseburger, which is a double meat and double cheese monster, and the menu also includes a seriously good chili dog.
    Richard Guzman, Daily News, 13 May 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
  • The Ducks made several poor decisions trying to break the puck out, and one eventually landed it on Dorofeyev’s stick in front.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • The spaghetti with meatball is not quite as comically large as the mozzarella stick at Rosso.
    Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • That seems to be the bigger issue here; the underlying iceberg that has snagged your confidence.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
  • But Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed almost immediately veers off into wild subplots about murder, corruption, and corporate malfeasance, as if to emphasize that low-level romance scams are just the tip of the internet’s fetid iceberg.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 May 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 22 May. 2026.

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