Synonyms

rock the boat

Idioms

Disturb a stable situation, as in An easygoing manager, he won't rock the boat unless it's absolutely necessary. This idiom alludes to capsizing a small vessel, such as a canoe, by moving about in it too violently. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

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.

See Examples For:

rock the boat

“You just don’t want to rock the boat, because a few points on your credit score can impact the rate that you get on that next mortgage,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Such an idea had never been tried before, and the Wellington mutual funds’ conservative board of directors were loath to rock the boat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Rather than rock the boat in times of trouble, Walter has practiced patience when it comes to personnel decisions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2025

"People don't like to rock the boat in the outer islands," she says.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024

“As long as you don’t rock the boat, then they think you’re a pretty good ol’ fella.”

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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