monkey wrench

¹ American  

noun

1. especially British, adjustable spanner.  a wrench having an adjustable jaw permitting it to grasp nuts or the like of different sizes.

2. something that interferes with functioning; obstacle.

   He threw a monkey wrench into our plans.

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monkey-wrench ² American  

[muhng-kee-rench] / ˈmʌŋ kiˌrɛntʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to ruin (plans, a schedule, etc.) unavoidably or, sometimes, deliberately.

   The storm monkey-wrenched our plans for a picnic.

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verb (used without object)

1. to prevent, delay, or sabotage industrialization or development of wilderness areas, especially through vandalism.

monkey wrench British  

noun

1. a wrench with adjustable jaws

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Other Word Forms

• monkey-wrencher noun

Etymology

Origin of monkey wrench¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Origin of monkey-wrench²

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

But now two men on the federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana have thrown a monkey wrench into Biden’s decision.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2025

“The last thing that a booming economy needs is to throw a monkey wrench into a system that we have that is working marvelously well.”

From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2023

“You’ve thrown a monkey wrench into your campaign.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 8, 2022

Warhol was a hugely successful commercial artist — and quite rich from it, earning up to an inflation-adjusted $500,000 a year— before he threw a well-placed monkey wrench into a haughty and exclusionary art world.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2022

Doc opened the box on the dashboard and took out a monkey wrench.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck