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grind to a halt

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grind to a halt

Fig. to slow down and stop. Every day about noon, traffic in town grinds to a halt. The bus ground to a halt at the corner and someone got off.

See also: grind, halt

grind to a halt

to slowly come to a stop Traffic on the interstate almost ground to a halt today because it was so foggy. The strike has caused production of new cars to grind to a halt.

See also: grind, halt

grind to a halt/standstill

if an organization, system, or process grinds to a halt, it stops working, usually because of a problem If the computer network crashed, the whole office would grind to a halt.

See also: grind, halt

grind to a halt

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.

See also: grind, halt