millstone
Americannoun
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either of a pair of circular stones between which grain or another substance is ground, as in a mill.
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anything that grinds or crushes.
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any heavy mental or emotional burden (often used in the phrasea millstone around one's neck ).
noun
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one of a pair of heavy flat disc-shaped stones that are rotated one against the other to grind grain
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a heavy burden, such as a responsibility or obligation
his debts were a millstone round his neck
Etymology
Origin of millstone
before 1050; Middle English milneston, Old English mylenstān. See mill 1, stone
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"She probably thought she was leaving something to her offspring, only to find that it's become a millstone," says Taylor.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
But climates shift, and while “invented heritage” can act as a powerful anchor, it can also be a millstone, an obstacle to necessary, large-scale changes.
From Salon • Jan. 3, 2026
“As the only sector to record a negative return in Q3, staples was the proverbial millstone around quality’s neck.”
From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025
The play’s conceit feels like a millstone around its neck, a catchy hook that quickly begins to feel like an obligation.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 12, 2023
“I’m tired of this town. Do you know what it’s like? To have his name? To wear that millstone around your neck? The stares and whispers? The weight of this blood?”
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
