Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grind to a halt

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.63 in modern English

Syllables
grind -to a halt
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To come to a standstill, or cease to be productive or make progress, due to an obstacle.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Usage

Inflected Forms

grinds to a halt (present, singular) grinding to a halt (participle, present) ground to a halt (participle, past) ground to a halt (past)

Synonyms

get stuck bog down mire

Questions

What does grind to a halt mean?
To come to a standstill, or cease to be productive or make progress, due to an obstacle.
Where does grind to a halt come 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.

How to pronounce grind to a halt

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