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
The temporary truce pulls the world's two largest economies back from the brink after trade between them nearly ground to a halt, raising recession risks in the U.S. and deepening deflationary pressures in China.
—
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
If a sanitation strike hit New York, the city would grind to a halt.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Ahn Young-joon/AP SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's government investigation into human rights violations in past international adoptions, which led to a landmark admission of government responsibility in March, has ground to a halt.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 6 May 2025
Ferran is just as compelling when such vibrancy and vitality gives way to dejection and disharmony as her aspiring writing career grinds to a halt and her health starts to deteriorate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
If a sanitation strike hit New York, the city would grind to a halt.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Ahn Young-joon/AP SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's government investigation into human rights violations in past international adoptions, which led to a landmark admission of government responsibility in March, has ground to a halt.
—Se Eun Gong, NPR, 6 May 2025
Ferran is just as compelling when such vibrancy and vitality gives way to dejection and disharmony as her aspiring writing career grinds to a halt and her health starts to deteriorate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 2 May 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 21 May. 2025.
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