grind to a halt
idiom
of a machine
: to stop working or moving forward
The machinery slowly ground to a halt.
—often used figurativelyWithout more money, work on the project will soon grind to a halt.
Examples of grind to a halt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Late Monday evening, business on that panel ground to a halt when the Republicans on the committee abruptly recessed proceedings rather than risk more proposals from Democrats pushing them to release Epstein files.
—
Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025
Eviscerating the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health
The argument against this is that without such subsidies, scientific and medical research would grind to a halt.
—Walter E Block, Oc Register, 21 July 2025
League sources are confident that the Sixers and Grimes will find a way to come to terms, even if Sixers fans have grown a bit antsy waiting for a resolution, and even if the market has ground to a halt.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 July 2025
If that person becomes unavailable, the work can grind to a halt.
—Adrian Stelmach, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025
Eviscerating the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health
The argument against this is that without such subsidies, scientific and medical research would grind to a halt.
—Walter E Block, Oc Register, 21 July 2025
League sources are confident that the Sixers and Grimes will find a way to come to terms, even if Sixers fans have grown a bit antsy waiting for a resolution, and even if the market has ground to a halt.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 July 2025
If that person becomes unavailable, the work can grind to a halt.
—Adrian Stelmach, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
Cite this Entry
“Grind to a halt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20to%20a%20halt. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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