From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmake wavesmake wavesinformalCAUSE to cause problems, especially when you should not With so many jobs already cut, he didn’t want to make waves. → wave
Examples from the Corpus
make waves• Although the full portent of that legislation has yet to sink in, it is already making waves.• With men and women like Anderson, Davis, Drew, and Randolph, blacks made waves during the war.• What gradually emerged was a project that is still making waves in economics.• Lora can do what ever she wants at work as long as she doesn't make waves.• Council to make waves at show A NORTH-EAST council is hoping to make waves at a top boat show.• The youngsters hoping to make waves in Barcelona.• The desire not to make waves is a particularly depressing and insipid form of self-censorship.• And, after a spell of obscurity, Sidney Bechet was making waves again. 