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

Space stocks have gone stratospheric over the past month, but the rally could grind to a halt on Friday.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Private equity’s fundraising downturn began in early 2022 when the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates, causing dealmaking to grind to a halt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 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

The harbor was nearly deserted; the plague had caused shipping in and out of Kerch to grind to a halt.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo