grind to a halt
English
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grind to a halt
Where it comes from
From windmills. To stop a windmill from turning too quickly, such as during a strong gust of wind, excess corn would be poured between the grinding stone (top stone) and the nether stone (bottom stone). The extra pressure would cause the stones to slow down or literally "grind to a halt", and thereby stop the windmill from turning.
verb grinds to a halt · grinding to a halt · ground to a halt
- To come to a standstill, or cease to be productive or make progress, due to an obstacle. Work on the new high-rise ground to a halt as contractors tried to deal with all the red tape.
Translations
Every language
verb to bring to a stop or halt
| Español | estancarse |
|---|---|
| Français | se gripper, se bloquer, se paralyser, s'immobiliser, s'arrêter net |
| Deutsch | ins Stocken geraten |
| Русский | остановиться ostanovitʹsja |
Talk about this word "grind to a halt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/grind%20to%20a%20halt. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. grind to a halt. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/grind%20to%20a%20halt "grind to a halt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/grind%20to%20a%20halt.Cite this
@misc{grind_to_a_halt_2026,
title = {grind to a halt},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/grind%20to%20a%20halt},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
