monkey wrench

noun
UK: /ˈmʌŋkiˌrentʃ/
US: /ˈmʌŋkiˌrentʃ/

  1. A tool used for gripping and turning nuts and bolts, with adjustable jaws.

    1. He used a monkey wrench to tighten the bolts.
    2. The plumber adjusted the pipe fitting with a heavy monkey wrench in the dimly lit basement.

Synonyms

sabotage adjustable spanner spanner
monkey wrench idiom

  1. To deliberately spoil or ruin a plan or activity.

    1. Don't throw a monkey wrench into my plans.
    2. Unexpected budget cuts threw a monkey wrench into the project's timeline, delaying its completion.
monkey wrench transitive-verb

  1. To sabotage or interfere with something.

    1. He monkey wrenched the machine.
    2. The activist monkey wrenched the logging operation by disabling their equipment overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "monkey wrench" is /ˈmʌŋkiˌrentʃ/ in British English and /ˈmʌŋkiˌrentʃ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "monkey wrench": sabotage, adjustable spanner, spanner.

Example usage of "monkey wrench": "He used a monkey wrench to tighten the bolts.". More examples on the page.