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
As the crisis drags on, life is slowly grinding to a halt across this island of nearly 10 million people.
—
Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
One major impact of the shutdown is expected to hit the DHS’s inspector general as a lapse in funding will affect scores of investigations that are ongoing, with those expected to grind to a halt until a deal is in place and funding is restored.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2026
Without aluminum alloys and other metallic mixtures, assembly lines churning out modern tanks, trucks and airplanes would grind to a halt.
—Thomas Robertson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
In Havana, the public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
One major impact of the shutdown is expected to hit the DHS’s inspector general as a lapse in funding will affect scores of investigations that are ongoing, with those expected to grind to a halt until a deal is in place and funding is restored.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2026
Without aluminum alloys and other metallic mixtures, assembly lines churning out modern tanks, trucks and airplanes would grind to a halt.
—Thomas Robertson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
In Havana, the public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
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 22 Feb. 2026.
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