Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

make waves

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.36 in modern English

Syllables
make waves
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause a disturbance.

verb

To upset the status quo.

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see make, wave.

Etymology

Derived from disruptions caused by waves in water.

Inflected Forms

makes waves (present, singular) making waves (participle, present) made waves (participle, past) made waves (past)

Phrases

ruffle some feathers

Frequently Paired Words

ruffle some feathers

Synonyms

rock the boat

Questions

What does make waves mean?
To cause a disturbance.
Where does make waves come from?
Derived from disruptions caused by waves in water.

How to pronounce make waves

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “make waves”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “make waves”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “make waves” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.