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
  • In 2020, the Democratic National Convention caught some flack from outspoken Rhode Islanders for showcasing calamari as the state's best dish instead of the quintessentially Rhode Island stuffed clam or stuffie.
    Rin Velasco, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
  • That’s when something tightened, a brief, instinctual clam-closing and then loosening again just as fast.
    Dawn Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 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
  • Swimbaits, stick baits, creature baits, crawfish imitators, and big ribbontail worms will all catch fish on a Texas rig.
    Derek Horner, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Its contents range from 19th-century anti-aging pills, to biologist Charles Darwin’s walking stick, to striking nude self-portraits by then-sexagenarian British photographer John Coplans.
    Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Wall text describes the building’s form as an iceberg, with credit for the metaphor going to the architect himself.
    Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Littleleaf boxwood surrounds one planting area filled with iceberg roses.
    Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 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 5 Apr. 2026.

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