put the brakes on sth

/pˌʊt ðə bɹˈeɪks ˌɒn ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/

/pˌʊt ðə bɹˈeɪks ˌɑːn ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/

[phrase]

to put the brakes on sth

[PHRASE]

to prevent something from happening or making more progress

Examples

1. If you looked on the very largest of scales, you’d expect to see the Universe slowing down, the gravity of the matter in the Universe itself putting the brakes on the expansion.

2. But herpes puts the brakes on this process, too.

3. The city has put the brakes on further spending.

4. And the thing is, Republicans putting the brakes on Obama's recovery spending is now widely considered to have been a big mistake.