: a wrench with one fixed and one adjustable jaw at right angles to a straight handle
2
: something that disrupts
threw a monkey wrench into the peace negotiations
Illustration of monkey wrench
monkey wrench 1
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Though the rain on May 31 threw a massive monkey wrench into the festivities, drawing an apology from Questlove to fans, things got better on June 1 (for the most part).—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2025 Think of it like the proverbial monkey wrench left in your car’s engine by a careless mechanic.—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025 Moments after the judge set a May 27 hearing for the bench trial on damages only, Knight threw a giant monkey wrench into the proceeding.—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2025 In addition, tweaking input data for the large language model (LLM) that powers such an AI can throw a monkey wrench into its responses.—PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for monkey wrench
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