millstone
Americannoun
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either of a pair of circular stones between which grain or another substance is ground, as in a mill.
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anything that grinds or crushes.
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any heavy mental or emotional burden (often used in the phrasea millstone around one's neck ).
noun
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one of a pair of heavy flat disc-shaped stones that are rotated one against the other to grind grain
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a heavy burden, such as a responsibility or obligation
his debts were a millstone round his neck
Etymology
Origin of millstone
before 1050; Middle English milneston, Old English mylenstān. See mill 1, stone
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
How much can it become a slight millstone if you would be the one that breaks that run?
From BBC
"She probably thought she was leaving something to her offspring, only to find that it's become a millstone," says Taylor.
From BBC
But climates shift, and while “invented heritage” can act as a powerful anchor, it can also be a millstone, an obstacle to necessary, large-scale changes.
From Salon
If he did so, his quotes against divorce would be an online millstone around his neck.
From Salon
“As the only sector to record a negative return in Q3, staples was the proverbial millstone around quality’s neck.”
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
