Word.ws English Dictionary

throwing a spanner in the works

throwing a spanner in the works is the present participle and gerund of throw a spanner in the works.

Meaning of throw a spanner in the works

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.

Questions about throwing a spanner in the works

What is throwing a spanner in the works the present participle and gerund of?
Throwing a spanner in the works is the present participle and gerund of throw a spanner in the works.

Words near throwing a spanner in the works in the dictionary

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: throwing a spanner in the works (page history and authors); 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.

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