grind to a halt

idiom

of a machine

: to stop working or moving forward

The machinery slowly ground to a halt.

—often used figuratively

Without 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

Human Error Both people and businesses have a huge reliance on technology, and if that tech goes away suddenly—like when a computer crashes, a cell phone breaks or a company becomes the victim of a ransomware attack—productivity grinds to a halt. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

Basically, every trace of human progress could grind to a halt. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

Locals say the economy will grind to a halt if the town gets swept up in President-elect Donald Trump’s vows of mass deportations. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Without those services, agricultural supply chains would grind to a halt, says Abhay Pareek, who leads C4IR’s agriculture efforts. —IEEE Spectrum, 10 Dec. 2024