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 while a government shutdown is never politically advantageous, some of his followers may even see it as a badge of honor—a direct rebuke to Beltway insiders who treat Washington grinding to a halt as a national crisis.
—
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Linda, who is a therapist, must balance her job with the inevitably time-consuming repairs, which grind to a halt when a contractor has a family emergency.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
As the United States experiences its latest government shutdown, most of the daily operations of the federal government have ground to a halt.
—Richard Forno, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
In Washington, business has ground to a halt for the fifth straight day – the government closed with lawmakers deadlocked over how to reopen it.
—NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Linda, who is a therapist, must balance her job with the inevitably time-consuming repairs, which grind to a halt when a contractor has a family emergency.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
As the United States experiences its latest government shutdown, most of the daily operations of the federal government have ground to a halt.
—Richard Forno, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
In Washington, business has ground to a halt for the fifth straight day – the government closed with lawmakers deadlocked over how to reopen it.
—NBC news, 5 Oct. 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 24 Oct. 2025.
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