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
German car manufacturers such as Mercedes and BMW worried as much as their U.S. competitors that their production lines would grind to a halt without specialized magnets.
—
Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Finally, the system avoids grinding to a halt if a GPU or link fails.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2025
There are also moments where the action grinds to a halt, usually when a wooden Ansel Elgort’s Tony and his lead shoes show up.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
The packed train, carrying hundreds of Everton supporters back from London, ground to a halt at Runcorn, allowing David Moyes, his staff and players to disembark to applause and cheers.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Finally, the system avoids grinding to a halt if a GPU or link fails.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2025
There are also moments where the action grinds to a halt, usually when a wooden Ansel Elgort’s Tony and his lead shoes show up.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
The packed train, carrying hundreds of Everton supporters back from London, ground to a halt at Runcorn, allowing David Moyes, his staff and players to disembark to applause and cheers.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 29 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 22 Aug. 2025.
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