Word.ws English Dictionary

throw a spanner in the works

throw a spanner in the works verb: to introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome.

Verb

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

  1. (UK, idiomatic) To introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome.
    • Halfway through the production of Macbeth, the director found that the stage was smaller than he had expected. This really threw a spanner in the works.

throw a spanner in the works meaning in Vietnamese

throw a spanner in the works in Vietnamese

to introduce an obstacle or something unexpected
thọc gậy bánh xe

Synonyms of throw a spanner in the works

Forms of throw a spanner in the works

third-person singular presentthrows a spanner in the works
present participlethrowing a spanner in the works
pastthrew a spanner in the works
past participlethrown a spanner in the works
alternative formthrow a spanner into the works

Questions about throw a spanner in the works

What does throw a spanner in the works mean?
Throw a spanner in the works means to introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome.
What is throw a spanner in the works in Vietnamese?
Throw a spanner in the works in Vietnamese is thọc gậy bánh xe. See Throw a spanner in the works meaning in Vietnamese.
What part of speech is throw a spanner in the works?
Throw a spanner in the works is a verb.
What is the past tense of throw a spanner in the works?
The past tense of throw a spanner in the works is threw a spanner in the works.

Words near throw a spanner in the works in the dictionary

  1. throw a mickey
  2. throw a monkey wrench in the works
  3. throw a monkey wrench into the works
  4. throw a party
  5. throw a sickie
  6. throw a spanner in the works
  7. throw a spanner into the works
  8. throw a sprat to catch a mackerel
  9. throw a tantrum
  10. throw a wet blanket on
  11. throw a wobbly

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: throw a spanner in the works (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.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-throw a spanner in the works.ogg.

Cite this entry: “throw a spanner in the works.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/throw_a_spanner_in_the_works. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.