make waves

phrase

: to create a stir or disturbance

… continues to make waves with his unique, highly opinionated approach.

—Suzanne Biallot

Examples of make waves in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Charlie, then 24, was a fresh-faced wunderkind already making waves in the Republican Party. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026

Another contender is Instinct, whose eponymous agent has made waves for its ease of use — including the fact that users can communicate with it over iMessage and many other chat apps. — Hayden Field, The Verge, 28 Sep. 2026

Sign up for the newsletter El Niño is also able to make waves, themselves, more intense. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Meanwhile, her existing work is set to make waves in Hollywood. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for make waves

• airwaves
• behaves
• enclaves
• architraves
• autoclaves
• microwaves
• braves
• caves
• craves
• knaves
• laves
• naves