come to a grinding halt

idiom

of a machine
: to stop working or moving forward
The machinery came to a grinding halt.
often used figuratively
The project came to a grinding halt.

Examples of come to a grinding halt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The central bank is also tightening monetary policy sharply, with key rates also at decades-high levels and growth having come to a grinding halt. Reuters, CNN, 26 Jan. 2023 Life doesn’t often come to a grinding halt. Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 10 July 2022 Economic activity has come to a grinding halt in Sri Lanka, and citizens continue to endure hours-long daily power outages, as the country struggles to buy fuel. Anusha Ondaatjie, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 Wisconsin saw rapid growth in state spending on grants, loans and scholarships to undergraduate students between 2000 and 2011, but that has since come to a grinding halt and ultimately declined by half a percentage point in the decade since. Devi Shastri, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2022 As Kat considers breaking up with Ethan again, her story line has come to a grinding halt in comparison to her expansive arc last season. Iana Murray, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2022 Lockwood’s debut follows a social media star whose absurdist travails online come to a grinding halt when a gutting tragedy hits IRL. Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2021 Likewise, post-production nationwide would come to a grinding halt without the 8,600 editors represented by Local 700. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Sep. 2021 That is a clear signal that the construction of pipelines could come to a grinding halt during the Biden administration. Scott Waldman, Scientific American, 28 Jan. 2021

Dictionary Entries Near come to a grinding halt

Cite this Entry

“Come to a grinding halt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20to%20a%20grinding%20halt. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!