grind to a halt

Idioms  

1. Also, come to a grinding halt. Gradually come to a standstill or end. For example, Once the funding stopped, the refurbishing project ground to a halt, or She's come to a grinding halt with that book she's writing. This expression alludes to a clogged engine that gradually stops or a ship that runs aground.

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Example Sentences

As the threat of attacks saw nightlife in the usually party-loving commercial hub grind to a halt, they decided they were not going to let the fun stop.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

Researchers at the University of Southampton have found new evidence that Earth's climate did not completely grind to a halt during its most extreme ice age, a time often called Snowball Earth.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

But the companies still have to make money, Windsor said, or else “the whole proposition will grind to a halt while the market figures out the economic way forward.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 2, 2026

Without those exemptions, fuels-reduction projects that protect wolverine habitat from catastrophic fire would grind to a halt, directly threatening the species.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

It’s not your color. grind to a halt.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner