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

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

“The supply shocks from either would already rock the boat; both together would capsize global markets like a perfect storm,” said Raj.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026

He doesn’t want to rock the boat in any way.

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2024

His successor was seen as a shy, compromise candidate who was unlikely to rock the boat.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024

Would you rock the boat and speak out, or would you remain silent, as the people of Auschwitz did?

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

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