How do you say “Go cold turkey” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is arrêter d'un coup, which literally means “to stop in one blow”. English speakers use go cold turkey to mean to suddenly and completely stop an addictive habit or behavior instead of slowing down gradually. French does not have a colorful idiomatic equivalent describing the bodily sensation of withdrawal. Native speakers simply emphasize the suddenness of the cessation using punchy adverbs. It is informal, neutral and common in everyday French.
Closest natural French
arrêter d'un coup
/a.ʁɛ.te dœ̃ ku/
- Literal meaning
- “to stop in one blow”
- Register
- informal, neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
85 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
The English idiom 'cold turkey' originates from the physical symptoms of abrupt narcotic withdrawal, where the user experiences chills and goosebumps that resemble the skin of a plucked cold turkey. It uniquely combines an addiction-specific medical reality with an everyday colloquial image, conveying both suddenness and physiological discomfort.
French lacks an image-based idiom for this experience and instead relies on descriptive terms denoting sudden kinetic halts. Native speakers use 'arrêter d'un coup' or 'arrêter net' to express stopping an addictive substance or habit immediately without tapering off. While these French phrases lack the vivid visceral metaphor of 'cold turkey', they carry the exact same conversational weight and pragmatic nuance.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
arrêter net
Literally: “to stop dead / cleanly”
Equally natural and punchy, emphasizing a clean, sudden break without tapering off.
arrêter du jour au lendemain
Literally: “to stop from one day to the next”
Focuses on the lack of a transition period rather than physical withdrawal.
faire un sevrage brutal
Literally: “to undergo a brutal withdrawal”
More technical or medical, specifically referring to breaking an addiction abruptly.
Don't translate it literally
aller dinde froide
A nonsensical literal translation that carries no meaning in French.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
He decided to quit smoking cold turkey.
French
Il a décidé d'arrêter de fumer d'un coup.
English
Quitting caffeine cold turkey gave me terrible headaches.
French
Arrêter la caféine d'un coup m'a donné d'horribles maux de tête.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-11