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Glite Dictionary
to throw a wrench in

to throw a wrench in

4 8.0
Cause a problem that stops a plan or activity
  • idiom
  • US
: echar una monkey wrench en
  • Her sudden resignation has thrown a wrench in the team's progress on the project.
  • throw a wrench in the works
  • throw a wrench in your plan
  • throw a wrench in the gears

And so I'm in Panama working and I had just met my wife two weeks prior to going to Panama, kind of threw a wrench in things.

Examples

  • Lacey's death threw a wrench in his well-laid plans.

    Blog text (19)

  • A small, pale, nervous woman has thrown a wrench in the works.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • But like, not, you know, that would throw a wrench in our plans.

  • Way to throw a wrench in the program!

    All at Once (2016)

  • What I really wanna know is, what can I do to throw a wrench in these plans?

    Blog text (6)

  • The first 10 weeks of 2012, however, have thrown a wrench in the previous thinking.

    Blog text (24)

  • That obviously throws a wrench in the entire message of the gospel.

    Blog text (3)

  • He had a regimented schedule to finish all of it by the end of the day, and this had effectively thrown a wrench in his routine.

    Blog text (14)

  • On the other hand, if they're making an 'emergency' lane change across three lanes of backed up traffic in rush hour, then that's going to throw a wrench in everything.

    Blog text (15)

  • The unexpected storm really threw a wrench in our plans for the outdoor event.

Synonyms

to disrupt
vsto throw a wrench in
244 4.4

To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder

is about causing a problem for a plan or process rather than general progress
to turn (something) upside down
vsto throw a wrench in
  • Informal
89 4.5

Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused

means a disruption but usually less dramatic or sweeping
to derail
vsto throw a wrench in
84 4.6

Make a plan or project fail

may cause a problem without causing total failure
to throw a monkey wrench into the works
vsto throw a wrench in
  • Informal
1 8.6

Cause problems on purpose that stop a plan or process from working smoothly

can happen without deliberate intent rather than being done on purpose
to put a spanner in
vsto throw a wrench in
  • UK
1 8.6

To cause a plan to fail or have big problems

is identical in meaning but differs in wording or idiom form
to stick its dick in
vsto throw a wrench in
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To become involved in a messy situation and make it worse

is about causing a disruption rather than merely interfering or joining in
to overset someone's plans
vsto throw a wrench in
7.7

To ruin someone's plans by making them fail or change suddenly

applies to any plan or process rather than only personal plans

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to facilitate
  • Formal
168 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

How Disruptive

to sabotage
164 7.1
to derail
84 4.6
to throw a wrench in
  • US
4 8.0
to delay
442 1.4

Surface Forms

throw a wrench in infinitive
throwing a wrench in present participle
throws a wrench in third person singular
threw a wrench in past
thrown a wrench in past participle

Morphology

throw + a + wrench + in

The phrase evokes the concrete image of placing a wrench into machinery, which suggests obstruction, so a learner who knows 'throw', 'wrench' and 'in' can often infer a disruptive effect. However, the transfer from that literal image to the abstract meaning 'cause a disruption to a plan/process' is metaphorical and idiomatic (often realized as 'throw a wrench into the works'), so the exact sense is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom throw a wrench in comes from the image of someone throwing a wrench into the moving parts of a machine, making the machine jam. So, the phrase means 'to cause a problem' that stops a plan or process.