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Synonyms

make waves

Idioms  

  1. Cause a disturbance or controversy, as in We've finally settled our differences, so please don't make waves. This expression alludes to causing turbulence in the water. [Slang; mid-1900s] Also see rock the boat.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That set off days of intensive efforts using boats to make waves, then excavators to dig up sand and free the whale, as fears grew for its life.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

“He had incredible energy. I just knew he was going to make waves one day,” said Lee of his first encounter with Paik at an academic conference in 2015.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

Musical adaptation Wicked, sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two and historical epic Gladiator II could all make waves this season, thanks in part to their huge box office success.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2024

Yet for more than a decade, Shohei Ohtani has been willing to make waves.

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2023

He didn’t like to make waves because, he told himself, he’d already made waves by being who he was: Not black.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.