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

Raki made waves by publicly endorsing CMS candidates before his tenure was up, including two who were running for Nunn’s and Easley’s seats. — Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026

Fox holds domestic rights, while Fremantle is hoping this one will make waves abroad, having already sold to a number of key Prime Video territories. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Longtime Billboard contributor Fred Bronson spent more than a decade writing Billboard‘s Chart Beat column, chronicling the artists, songs and records making waves on the charts. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026

Now 11 years into their reunion, Sparks can see that the band has made waves that will continue to be felt after The Last Hurrah is over. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 7 Oct. 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