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
: all at once : abruptly: such as
a
: without a period of gradual adjustment, adaptation, or withdrawal
quit smoking cold turkey
b
: without preparation
a new player who started the season cold turkey
Synonyms
Examples of cold turkey in a Sentence
Noun
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
Bylindsey Leake, Fortune, 22 May 2024
Hormones regulate a person’s mind and body, and going cold turkey could send patients into depressive spirals or worse.
—Casey Parks, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2022
He’s tried going cold turkey by himself and in clean and sober facilities.
—Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for cold turkey 
Noun
But because the medication is intended to treat obesity and Type 2 diabetes—both serious, chronic conditions—quitting cold turkey without a doctor’s guidance may be dangerous.
—Bylindsey Leake, Fortune, 22 May 2024
Hormones regulate a person’s mind and body, and going cold turkey could send patients into depressive spirals or worse.
—Casey Parks, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Adverb
The girls’ trip turns into a kind of unintended intervention, even a detox, especially once she’s deprived of her phone and forced to go cold turkey.
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2022
He’s tried going cold turkey by himself and in clean and sober facilities.
—Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for cold turkey
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cold turkey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cold turkey
Cite this Entry
“Cold turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20turkey. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share