Illustration of spanner
- spanner 2
1
chiefly British
: wrench
2
: a wrench that has a hole, projection, or hook at one or both ends of the head for engaging with a corresponding device on the object that is to be turned
Examples of spanner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
She was supposed to move from New York to her Florida retirement home, but the homebuilder's bankruptcy has thrown a spanner in the works.
—
Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
Unfortunately, the girlband has thrown another spanner in the works with a Frankenstein’s mess of an entry.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 2025
The fact that the point came against one of Leicester’s rivals will add to the moment, as will the fact that the equaliser put a small spanner in Forest’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, although the draw did secure European football for the home team.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 12 May 2025
The major spanner in the works of bringing Herta to Cadillac is that the American does not currently have enough points for his FIA Super Licence.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spanner
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Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
Unfortunately, the girlband has thrown another spanner in the works with a Frankenstein’s mess of an entry.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 2025
The fact that the point came against one of Leicester’s rivals will add to the moment, as will the fact that the equaliser put a small spanner in Forest’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, although the draw did secure European football for the home team.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 12 May 2025
The major spanner in the works of bringing Herta to Cadillac is that the American does not currently have enough points for his FIA Super Licence.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spanner
Cite this Entry
“Spanner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spanner. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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spanner
noun
span·ner
ˈspan-ər 
chiefly British
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