Idiom
make waves
Meaning
To cause a disturbance.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He tries not to make waves at his new job.”
“She knew that questioning the manager would make waves, but she felt the policy was unfair.”
“By challenging the long-standing traditions of the organization, the young activist was determined to make waves and force a necessary change in leadership.”
Examples
simple
“He tries not to make waves at his new job.”
contextual
“She knew that questioning the manager would make waves, but she felt the policy was unfair.”
complex
“By challenging the long-standing traditions of the organization, the young activist was determined to make waves and force a necessary change in leadership.”
Origin
The idiom is derived from the physical disruptions caused by waves in water. The phrase entered the lexicon as a metaphor for causing trouble or disturbing a previously calm situation.
Key words
Related idioms
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