Skip to main content
to come to a halt

to come to a halt

25 3.4
Stop moving or working completely
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: detenerse
  • As the traffic lights turned red, the cars began to come to a halt one by one.
  • new loans came to a halt

It'll finally come to a halt and it will slowly come back.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • When the music ended, the dancers came to a halt on the stage.

  • As Pullman all but monopolized passenger railcar operations, train traffic virtually came to a halt across the country.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Life as we know it came to a halt.

  • Within seconds, a taxi came to a halt in front of her.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Could all conversations please come to a halt?

  • The construction industry came to a halt, and builders went out of business.

    Academic text (1993)
  • At the top of the hill, Brother Rod came to a halt.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Conflict between the natives and the Spanish came to a halt.

  • Finally, the passenger door rolls into sight and the limo comes to a halt.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • When AIFLD's policy-oriented funding came to a halt, conservative unions were especially hurt.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

to end
vsto come to a halt
∞ 1.0

To stop something or make it finish

is about stopping motion or progress rather than concluding broadly
to cease
vsto come to a halt
440 3.6

To stop or come to an end

focuses on physical stopping of movement or progress specifically
to halt
vsto come to a halt
178 2.4

To stop moving or make something stop moving

is about stopping by itself rather than causing it
to terminate
vsto come to a halt
151 4.6

To make something stop or finish

is used for stopping itself rather than intentionally ending things
to break off
vsto come to a halt
128 3.2

To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship

refers to stopping movement or progress generally rather than sudden interruptions
to discontinue
vsto come to a halt
48 4.2

To stop something that is happening or being given

refers to stopping movement or progress rather than ending services
to come to a close
vsto come to a halt
22 3.5

To end, often after a meeting or event

is about stopping movement or progress not only ending events
to stop dead
vsto come to a halt
  • Informal
15 3.9

To suddenly become completely still because you are surprised

is used more generally and does not imply sudden emotional cause
to grind to a halt
vsto come to a halt
13 5.8

Slow down until it stops moving or working

describes stopping without implying a slow reduction first
to stop cold
vsto come to a halt
  • Informal
11 5.2

Freeze and stay completely still because of surprise or fear

does not require sudden shock and applies in more situations
to hit a dead end
vsto come to a halt
8 4.6

Reach a point where you cannot continue

describes stopping itself rather than being unable to continue further

Antonyms

892 1.6

To continue doing something without stopping

to accelerate
  • Specialized
227 3.7

To move faster or make something happen faster

How Stopped

to come to a halt
  • Informal
25 3.4
to slow down
893 1.4
to keep going
892 1.6

Surface Forms

come to a halt infinitive
coming to a halt present participle
comes to a halt third person singular
come to a halt past participle

Morphology

come + to + a + halt

The meaning 'to stop completely' is directly derived from combining 'come' (arrive/reach) with 'a halt' (a stop); the phrase 'come to [a noun]' regularly expresses reaching a state. This compositional pattern is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the overall meaning.

Etymology

The verb phrase come to a halt paints a simple picture: something comes forward until it reaches a halt, an old word for a full stop. So it means 'to stop moving or progressing'.