How do you say “Go cold turkey” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Dejarlo de golpe, which literally means “To leave it with a blow”. English speakers use go cold turkey to mean to suddenly and completely stop an addictive habit or behavior instead of slowing down gradually. A natural way to say that someone stops a habit all at once. Name the habit when it is not already clear: “dejar el café de golpe”. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Dejarlo de golpe
/deˈxaɾlo de ˈɡolpe/
- Literal meaning
- “To leave it with a blow”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Spanish uses a sudden blow to describe the abrupt change. It does not keep the English turkey image.
The phrase describes how someone stops, without necessarily suggesting withdrawal symptoms. It also works for ordinary habits such as drinking coffee or checking a phone.
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 Spanish?
Dejarlo de una vez
Literally: “To leave it at one time”
Stresses a decisive stop; can also carry impatience.
Cortar de raíz
Literally: “To cut at the root”
A stronger image for ending a problem completely, not just quitting a habit.
Common translation traps
Ir pavo frío
This copies the English words without creating a Spanish expression for stopping a habit.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
I went cold turkey on coffee last week.
Spanish
La semana pasada dejé el café de golpe.
English
She cut down for a while instead of going cold turkey.
Spanish
Lo fue reduciendo durante un tiempo en vez de dejarlo de golpe.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13