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
With only a single U.S. astronaut aboard to respond to emergencies, operate power, life support and other systems in the NASA segment of the station, high-priority research would grind to a halt.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2025
The backlog has doubled over the past decade, and the system is grinding to a halt.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
For one thing, Mexico would consider this act an invasion, and whatever law enforcement cooperation that does exist would grind to a halt.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025
Asylum has effectively ground to a halt in the past nine months, following an order by President Joe Biden, who set a daily crossing cap that closed applications in June 2024.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind to a halt
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William Harwood, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2025
The backlog has doubled over the past decade, and the system is grinding to a halt.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
For one thing, Mexico would consider this act an invasion, and whatever law enforcement cooperation that does exist would grind to a halt.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025
Asylum has effectively ground to a halt in the past nine months, following an order by President Joe Biden, who set a daily crossing cap that closed applications in June 2024.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 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 10 Mar. 2025.
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