Word.ws English Dictionary

throw a wrench in

throw a wrench in verb: to introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle in; to complicate.

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

Forms of throw a wrench in

third-person singular presentthrows a wrench in
present participlethrowing a wrench in
pastthrew a wrench in
past participlethrown a wrench in

Origin of throw a wrench in

See throw a wrench in the works.

Questions about throw a wrench in

What does throw a wrench in mean?
Throw a wrench in means to introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle in; to complicate.
What part of speech is throw a wrench in?
Throw a wrench in is a verb.
What is the past tense of throw a wrench in?
The past tense of throw a wrench in is threw a wrench in.

Words near throw a wrench in in the dictionary

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: 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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