millstone

UK: /ˈmɪlstəʊn/ US: /ˈmɪlˌstoʊn/ ,(mil′stōn′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

mill•stone /ˈmɪlˌstoʊn/   n. [countable]

1. either of a pair of circular stones between which grain is ground, as in a mill.
2. anything that grinds or crushes.
3. a millstone around one's neck, any heavy mental or emotional burden:
   The debt had become a giant millstone around his neck.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mill•stone  (mil′stōn′), n. 

1. either of a pair of circular stones between which grain or another substance is ground, as in a mill.
2. anything that grinds or crushes.
3. any heavy mental or emotional burden (often used in the phrase a millstone around one's neck).

• Middle English milneston, Old English mylenstān. See mill¹, stone bef. 1050

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

millstone / ˈmɪlˌstəʊn/ noun

1. one of a pair of heavy flat disc-shaped stones that are rotated one against the other to grind grain
2. a heavy burden, such as a responsibility or obligation