make waves

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

The self-assured world champion has the potential to make waves – in the ring and commercially - for years to come.

From BBC

Annabelle is not the first young woman from Norwich to make waves in the wrestling scene.

From BBC

Still, the shuttering of Participant Media and the travails of Trump biopic “The Apprentice,” coming in tandem with C-suite fantasies of a politics-free popular culture, suggest an unwillingness to make waves that profoundly misunderstands our moment, where fortune — think Kendrick Lamar vs.

From Los Angeles Times

All this came with a sugary disco image and catchy bubblegum songs, also including Spirit, Body and Soul, Don't Make Waves and Don't Love Me Too Hard.

From BBC

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

Related Words

• agitate 
• arouse 
• awaken 
• disturb 
• fire up 
• galvanize 
• heighten 
• incite 
• inflame 
• kindle 
• provoke 
• rile 
• startle 
• stir 
• trigger 
• wake up 
• whip up 
• work up