come to a grinding halt
idiom
of a machine
: to stop working or moving forward
The machinery came to a grinding halt.
—often used figurativelyThe project came to a grinding halt.
Examples of come to a grinding halt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The central bank is also tightening monetary policy sharply, with key rates also at decades-high levels and growth having come to a grinding halt.
—
Reuters, CNN, 26 Jan. 2023
Life doesn’t often come to a grinding halt.
—Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 10 July 2022
Economic activity has come to a grinding halt in Sri Lanka, and citizens continue to endure hours-long daily power outages, as the country struggles to buy fuel.
—Anusha Ondaatjie, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022
Wisconsin saw rapid growth in state spending on grants, loans and scholarships to undergraduate students between 2000 and 2011, but that has since come to a grinding halt and ultimately declined by half a percentage point in the decade since.
—Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2022
As Kat considers breaking up with Ethan again, her story line has come to a grinding halt in comparison to her expansive arc last season.
—Iana Murray, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2022
Lockwood’s debut follows a social media star whose absurdist travails online come to a grinding halt when a gutting tragedy hits IRL.
—Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021
Likewise, post-production nationwide would come to a grinding halt without the 8,600 editors represented by Local 700.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Sep. 2021
That is a clear signal that the construction of pipelines could come to a grinding halt during the Biden administration.
—Scott Waldman, Scientific American, 28 Jan. 2021
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Reuters, CNN, 26 Jan. 2023
Life doesn’t often come to a grinding halt.
—Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 10 July 2022
Economic activity has come to a grinding halt in Sri Lanka, and citizens continue to endure hours-long daily power outages, as the country struggles to buy fuel.
—Anusha Ondaatjie, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022
Wisconsin saw rapid growth in state spending on grants, loans and scholarships to undergraduate students between 2000 and 2011, but that has since come to a grinding halt and ultimately declined by half a percentage point in the decade since.
—Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2022
As Kat considers breaking up with Ethan again, her story line has come to a grinding halt in comparison to her expansive arc last season.
—Iana Murray, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2022
Lockwood’s debut follows a social media star whose absurdist travails online come to a grinding halt when a gutting tragedy hits IRL.
—Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021
Likewise, post-production nationwide would come to a grinding halt without the 8,600 editors represented by Local 700.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Sep. 2021
That is a clear signal that the construction of pipelines could come to a grinding halt during the Biden administration.
—Scott Waldman, Scientific American, 28 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Come to a grinding halt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20to%20a%20grinding%20halt. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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