halt
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Related to halt: Halt and Catch Fire
bring (someone or something) to a halt
To cause a person or thing to stop abruptly. The speeding police car, with its flashing lights and siren, brought all the other drivers to a halt. A sudden reduction in funding brought our research to a halt.
call a halt to (something)
To order the end or stoppage of something. Stop all printing—the boss has called a halt to this project!
come to a grinding halt
To halt progression very abruptly, especially in an ultimately detrimental or undesirable manner. Likened to a machine or automobile that stops functioning due to the grinding of gears. Things had been going well with the new project, but when our manager was fired, everything came to a grinding halt. Work on the tax legislation has come to a grinding halt in Congress.
come to a halt
To stop abruptly. Every driver came to a halt as the police car, with its flashing lights and siren, sped by. Our research came to a halt after a sudden reduction in funding.
come to a screeching halt
To halt progression very abruptly, especially in an ultimately detrimental or undesirable manner. Likened to the wheels or brakes of an automobile making a screeching noise as it stops. Things had been going well with the new project, but when our manager was fired, everything came to a screeching halt. Work on the tax legislation has come to a screeching halt in Congress.
grind to a halt
To halt progression very abruptly, especially in an ultimately detrimental or undesirable manner. Likened to a machine or automobile that stops functioning due to the grinding of gears. Our project will grind to a halt if the CEO pulls his approval. Work on new tax legislation ground to a halt in Congress this week.
halt (someone or something) (dead) in its/(one's) tracks
To make someone or something stop or come to a complete halt immediately or very suddenly. Hearing the gunshot in the distance halted us both dead in our tracks. Boy, Samantha could halt you in her tracks with her smile!
put a halt to (something)
To cause something to stop or to cease or conclude something. I'm going to put a halt to the corruption in this department once and for all! I wish my parents would put a halt to their bickering and just be civil to one another! He really needs to put a halt to this lecture before everyone falls asleep.
stop (someone or something) (dead) in its/(one's) tracks
To make someone or something stop or come to a complete halt immediately or very suddenly. Hearing the gunshot in the distance stopped us both dead in our tracks. Boy, Samantha could stop you in her tracks with her smile!
to a halt
To a stationary or stopped position or state. The speeding police car, with its flashing lights and siren, brought all the other drivers to a halt. The new project had been going well, but when our manager was fired, everything came to a grinding halt. Stop all printing—the boss has called things to a halt!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bring someone or something to a halt
to cause someone or something to stop immediately. The explosion brought the lecture to a halt. I brought the visitor to a halt at the front gate.
call a halt to something
to demand that something be stopped. We must call a halt to this childish behavior. The manager called a halt to all overtime.
come to a halt
to stop; to slow down and stop. Slowly, the train came to a halt. After the bus came to a halt, more people got on.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
call a halt
Order something stopped, as in It was getting too dark to see the ball, so the referee called a halt to the match, or They'd played the march four times, so the conductor called a halt to the rehearsal. [Late 1800s]
come to a halt
Also, come to a standstill. Stop, either permanently or temporarily. For example, The sergeant ordered the men to come to a halt, or With the strike, construction came to a standstill. Both terms employ come to in the sense of "arrive at" or "reach," a usage dating from the 10th century. Also see come to, def. 2.
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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
grind to a halt
COMMON
1. If a process or an activity grinds to a halt, it gradually becomes slower or less active until it stops. The peace process has ground to a halt.
2. If a vehicle grinds to a halt, it stops slowly and noisily. The tanks ground to a halt after a hundred yards because the fuel had run out.
3. If a country grinds to a halt, all transport in it stops so people are unable to do the things they usually do. The whole country grinds to a halt after an hour's snow.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
grind to a halt (or come to a grinding halt)
move more and more slowly and then stop. 1999 Times Traffic is expected to grind to a halt throughout the West Country as up to a million sightseers make the trip.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
call a ˈhalt (to something)
stop an activity: We must call a halt to people leaving work early without permission.grind to a ˈhalt/ˈstandstill
,come to a grinding ˈhalt
stop slowly: All work on the building has ground to a halt because of a shortage of materials. ♢ Every Friday night traffic comes to a grinding halt in Hammersmith.This idiom refers to the way a very large machine slowly stops working, with some of its parts grinding (= rubbing) together.
stop/halt somebody in their ˈtracks
,stop/halt/freeze in your ˈtracks
suddenly make somebody stop by frightening or surprising them; suddenly stop because something has frightened or surprised you: The question stopped Alice in her tracks. ♢ The horse stopped dead in its tracks and refused to move.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
come to a grinding/screeching halt
Stop suddenly. Referring to the noise made by gears or brakes during a sudden stop, these phrases date from the second half of the 1900s. The National Observer of December 4, 1976, had: “A lot of that stuff is going to come to a screeching halt quickly, and we’re not going to do the screeching.” It is also put as grind to a halt.
grind to a halt, to
See come to a grinding halt.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer