Synonyms

pooh-pooh

American

[poo-poo] / ˈpuˈpu /

verb (used with object)

to express disdain or contempt for; dismiss lightly.

He pooh-poohed all their superstitious fears.

verb (used without object)

to express disdain or contempt.

pooh-pooh British

/ ˈpuːˈpuː /

verb

(tr) to express disdain or scorn for; dismiss or belittle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

pooh-pooher noun

Etymology

Origin of pooh-pooh

First recorded in 1820–30; v. use of reduplication of pooh ¹

Vocabulary lists containing pooh-pooh

Dissed List: Breakup Words for Valentine's Day

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When we pooh-pooh the subjective, the love of the fans, we are giving power to people that already have it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2023

“I used to pooh-pooh all that anxiety stuff and think you can get through this. And then I went through the divorce.”

From New York Times • May 10, 2022

When Utah announced its score drops, a top education official there didn’t pooh-pooh them.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2022

On the other, your colleagues pooh-pooh you as pessimistic or even neurotic.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2021

Initially, President Eisenhower tried to pooh-pooh the Russians’ “small ball in the air” as an insignificant achievement, but the American people would have none of it.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023