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
And so, with no water left at the surface, major subduction zones would grind to a halt, preventing the entombment of carbon dioxide.
—
Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
With California’s population expected to exceed 45 million by 2050, backers see high-speed rail as the most efficient solution to prevent the state from grinding to a halt.
—Ben Jones, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Along with the ruling against Telen, the center’s activities have largely been ground to a halt.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025
Factories often grind to a halt if one robot fails or a layout changes.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
With California’s population expected to exceed 45 million by 2050, backers see high-speed rail as the most efficient solution to prevent the state from grinding to a halt.
—Ben Jones, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Along with the ruling against Telen, the center’s activities have largely been ground to a halt.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025
Factories often grind to a halt if one robot fails or a layout changes.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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