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Definitions

cold turkey

[kohld tur-kee] / ˈkoʊld ˈtɜr ki /
NOUN
complete and sudden withdrawal from an addictive substance
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It was after tallying my December spending that I finally deleted them cold turkey in January.

From Salon Mar. 3, 2026

“It was terrifying. You can’t just go cold turkey on these things,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 26, 2025

According to medical literature and former patients, some programs, including CHOP, wean children off medications—including narcotics, antidepressants, steroids, and seizure medications—or encourage them to stop cold turkey.

From Slate Sep. 15, 2025

"We went cold turkey really, but we managed it. We've just got used to living without Russian pipeline gas," explains Dr Jack Sharples, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

From BBC Feb. 25, 2024

The truth was, I could no sooner quit cello cold turkey than I could stop breathing.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman




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