How to Use monkey wrench in a Sentence

monkey wrench

noun
Definition of monkey wrenchnext
  • Prepare for your birth plan to get a monkey wrench thrown in it.
    — Jessica Delfino, SELF, 23 May 2018
  • Then, in his second year on the job, Culp got thrown a monkey wrench in the form of the coronavirus.
    — Daniel Bentley, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Not so with meme stocks, the latest monkey wrench thrown into the grooved gears of Wall Street.
    — George Schultze, Forbes, 15 June 2021
  • Way to throw a monkey wrench into spring break plans, Megabus.
    — Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2023
  • Throw in the monkey wrench that is a new playoff format which is, well, whack.
    — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2023
  • His top status is tenuous, and the results in Iowa could throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing for the 78-year-old.
    — James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2020
  • It’s like someone threw a monkey wrench into the whole system.
    — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 3 Nov. 2021
  • The Gamecocks threw a monkey wrench into the plans of one playoff contender already last week.
    — Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2019
  • The only monkey wrench was that Portland had a long emotional game the night before.
    — Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 12 Dec. 2022
  • High-tech cars are throwing a monkey wrench in the auto repair business.
    — Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2022
  • COVID-19 shutdowns threw a monkey wrench into the tax system.
    — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 18 Sep. 2020
  • Which, from Phil’s point-of-view, kind of throws a monkey wrench into their manly cowboy paradise.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2021
  • The hot trolling bite was tossed a monkey wrench on Thursday, though, as northeast winds provoked small craft warnings on the big waters.
    — cleveland.com, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Losing the Amargosa would throw a monkey wrench in the plans of Susan Sorrells, who owns Shoshone — the bar, restaurant, motel and houses — and 2,000 acres around it.
    — Jim Robbins, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017
  • The one thing throwing a monkey wrench in all of this is the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires Dec. 1.
    — Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2021
  • White Cap’s cocktail menu, at least for the moment, is tool-themed: Drinks are named, for example, after a drill press, a monkey wrench and — of course — a screwdriver.
    — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Jan. 2018
  • The injury to Samuel Umtiti has thrown a monkey wrench into Ernesto Valverde’s center back rotation.
    — Juan Pimiento, chicagotribune.com, 11 Jan. 2018
  • The recent news of rampant inflation may be throwing a monkey wrench into your plans.
    — Winnie Sun, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022
  • The man threatened her with a tennis racket and the woman reached into her vehicle and grabbed a monkey wrench to protect herself.
    — Joan Rusek, cleveland, 27 Sep. 2019
  • If the intent of the perpetrators is to throw a monkey wrench in U.S. foreign policy and get away with it, so far that mission has been accomplished.
    — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 7 June 2018
  • Now, reality has gone and thrown a monkey wrench in that nice and simple explanation.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2022
  • This naturally throws a big-time monkey wrench into any plans Lawrence may have to reconcile with Issa.
    — Essence, 23 Dec. 2021
  • For one thing, there’s the individual-mandate repeal, which may or may not throw a monkey wrench into the entire system.
    — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, 23 Dec. 2017
  • In other words, the Bolton revelations have thrown a monkey wrench into the Senate's proceedings.
    — Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 28 Jan. 2020
  • Construction crews in the Pacific Northwest know how to get the job done in any weather, but some seasonal surprises can throw a monkey wrench into the works.
    — oregonlive, 27 July 2022
  • The likely cancellation of Seattle’s postponed game against Tri-City throws a monkey wrench into the exact math, but 2nd is clearly Portland’s to lose.
    — Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 26 Apr. 2021
  • Serious bummer that the dramatic change of course in your friend’s love life has thrown a monkey wrench in your occasional double-date-night routine.
    — Author: Wayne and Wanda, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Aug. 2019
  • But a severe outbreak of avian influenza killed millions of hens this year, throwing a monkey wrench into production.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2022
  • His trade demand, however, appears to have thrown a monkey wrench into extension talks.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 20 June 2018
  • Similarly, the monkey wrench is more sophisticated than the description of a rum-and-coconut slushy would suggest.
    — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Jan. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monkey wrench.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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