cold turkey

as in clam
a cold aloof person my new boss is a cold turkey and definitely not one for chitchat

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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 Heavy drinkers who go cold turkey may experience mild to severe withdrawal symptoms, including shaky hands, headaches, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, and insomnia. Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025 After a grim prognosis from a doctor, Sanchez was motivated to stop drinking cold turkey. Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 Dec. 2024 Rather than going cold turkey on nightly dinner dates, try scaling back to just weekends, then using Thursday nights to grab drinks with your college pals. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 13 Dec. 2024 Even with his cold turkey approach, Ryan might not be an outlier. Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for cold turkey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold turkey
Noun
  • Some live wildlife is confiscated in very large numbers, like corals and clams, which are part of the predominant aquatic invertebrate trade in Southern California.
    Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
  • The exhibition also highlights gold substitutes used in the past, such as sea silk made from the filaments secreted by the Pinna nobilis, a type of large saltwater clam; golden spider silk from Madagascar, and yellow cocoons produced by a type of silkworm in Cambodia.
    Joelle Diderich, WWD, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • This emulsified mixture of garlic, olive oil and egg is a classic accompaniment to fish (especially cold fish).
    Domenica Marchetti, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
  • When hardware makers try to simply stick that OS into a handheld screen size controlled by buttons and analog sticks, the results can be awkward at best.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025
  • President Donald Trump is defying projections of an economic recession, plowing forward with new tariffs and, in the process, abandoning one of the core economic measuring sticks of his first term in office: the stock market.
    Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • This is the equivalent of deliberately sailing a ship into an iceberg.
    Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Nutrients from the iceberg’s melt could boost food availability for the regional ecosystem, according to a statement from the British Antarctic Survey.
    Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2025

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“Cold turkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20turkey. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

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