come to a screeching halt
idiomPart ofscreeching
come to a screeching halt — idiom
1. to stop suddenly and completely, often because something unexpected has happened
1.idiom
Definition
to stop suddenly and completely, often because something unexpected has happened — used both literally (a vehicle stopping hard) and figuratively (a plan or process ending abruptly)
Example
Jude's research project came to a screeching halt when the funding was cancelled.
Traffic came to a screeching halt as a deer dashed across the highway in front of the cars.