Word.ws English Dictionary

threw a wrench in

threw a wrench in is the simple past of throw a wrench in.

Meaning of throw a wrench in

Verb

throw a wrench in (third-person singular simple present throws a wrench in, present participle throwing a wrench in, simple past threw a wrench in, past participle thrown a wrench in)

  1. (US, idiomatic) To introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle in; to complicate.
    • The pandemic is also weighing on preparations, with election administrations hyperaware that Covid cases could throw a wrench in their plans at the last minute.2020 December 28, Zach Montellaro, “Georgia election admins battle Covid and conspiracies ahead of Senate runoffs”, in Politico

Questions about threw a wrench in

What is threw a wrench in the simple past of?
Threw a wrench in is the simple past of throw a wrench in.

Words near threw a wrench in in the dictionary

  1. threw a spanner into the works
  2. threw a sprat to catch a mackerel
  3. threw a tantrum
  4. threw a wet blanket on
  5. threw a wobbly
  6. threw a wrench in
  7. threw a wrench in the gears
  8. threw a wrench in the works
  9. threw a wrench into the works
  10. threw about
  11. threw an ant into a sty

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: threw a wrench in (page history and authors); throw a wrench in (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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