Definition

1. Noun:

   • A medical process of removing toxic substances from the body: "detox" refers to the treatment for eliminating harmful substances, particularly drugs or alcohol, from a person's system.
   • The ward or clinic where this treatment occurs: "detox" can also mean the specific hospital ward or clinic dedicated to this treatment process.

2. Verb:

   • To undergo or administer treatment to remove toxic substances: "detox" means to treat a person to free them from dependence on alcohol or drugs by removing these substances from their body.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • After years of heavy drinking, he finally checked into a detox.
  • The new clinic has a state-of-the-art detox unit.

• Verb:

  • She needed to detox from her prescription medication under medical supervision.
  • The clinic's primary goal is to safely detox patients.

Advanced Usage

• "to do a detox": to undergo a detoxification process, often informally.

  • After the holidays, I feel like I need to do a detox.

• "detox diet": a short-term dietary intervention aimed at eliminating toxins from the body. (Note: This is a compound term listed separately).

  • She tried a seven-day detox diet, though its medical benefits are debated.

Variants and Related Words

• Detoxification (n): the process of removing toxic substances.

  • Medical detoxification is the first step in addiction treatment.

• Detoxify (v): to remove toxins from; to cause to become free from poison.

  • The liver helps detoxify the blood.

Synonyms

• Purge: to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable.
• Cleanse: to make clean, especially to free from impurities.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases

(Note: "detox" is not commonly used with particles to form distinct phrasal verbs. The verb is typically used transitively or intransitively.)

Related Idioms

• "Detox from [something]": to abstain from or rid oneself of an unhealthy substance or habit.
  • I'm trying to detox from social media for a week.

Noun

1. the hospital ward or clinic in which patients are detoxified

Verb

1. treat for alcohol or drug dependence
   • He was detoxified in the clinic