Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

rock the boat

Idioms  

  1. 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.

“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

Esther wishes she had made a formal complaint at the time, but says she did not because he was an important author, and she didn't want to rock the boat.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2025

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

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2024

Now rock the boat, as if you were on the water.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2024

Most of them had just graduated from a city university and couldn’t rock the boat.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

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.