cold turkey
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.43 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A sudden and complete withdrawal from a dependent substance, especially a drug.
Informal; Uncountable
adv
Not gradually; all at once; referring especially to quitting a habit by force of will rather than by a gradual reduction.
verb
To undergo sudden and complete withdrawal from a dependent substance, especially a drug.
Informal; Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "It is difficult, but possible to quit smoking cold turkey."
- "I knew that, if I had daily access to video games, I would spend literally every day playing them, forever. So I cut myself off, more or less cold turkey, and as a result I was more or less happy and productive."
- "Joan Baez:: ‘I talk to trees to get answers. They give it to you cold turkey’."
Etymology
Usage
- Informal
- Uncountable
- American usage
- Slang
- Intransitive verb