Grind to a halt is an idiom that means to come to a complete STOP. It can be used to describe a machine, a process, or even a person. The crossword solutions for this term are STOP and MIRE. STOP is a verb meaning to cease movement or activity. MIRE is a noun meaning a difficult or hopeless situation. Together, these two words can be used to describe the idiom grind to a halt, which is when something comes to a complete STOP due to a difficult or hopeless situation.