What it means
To make waves means to shake things up and get people noticing, especially by upsetting the usual smooth little system. It can be said with a side-eye for someone causing hassle, or with respect for someone bold enough to push change. The picture is simple: one move, then the ripples keep travelling.
Usage examples
"The young director is not afraid to make waves with bold new ideas."
"The whistle-blower made waves that reached the very top of the company."
"The new headteacher started making waves the first week, scrapped detention slips, restructured the timetable and lost three deputy heads to early retirement within a month."
"Do not make waves in your first quarter at the firm, mate, learn the unwritten rules first, then push your ideas, otherwise you will spend a year explaining yourself in the corner office."
"She came in on Monday, questioned the whole rollout plan, and made waves before lunch."
Where it comes from
This phrase comes from the literal idea of disturbing still water and creating visible waves or ripples. It showed up in English by the mid 20th century as a figurative way to talk about causing disruption, attracting attention, or challenging the calm, tidy order people were trying to keep in place.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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