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pooh-pooh

[ poo-poo ]
/ ˈpuˈpu /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pooh-pooh ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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RELATED WORDS

repudiate, belittle, disregard, discount, rebuff, reject

Nearby words

  1. poof,
  2. poofter,
  3. pooh,
  4. pooh bah,
  5. pooh-bah,
  6. pook,
  7. pooka,
  8. pool,
  9. pool hall,
  10. pool malebo
Also poo-poo.

Origin of pooh-pooh

First recorded in 1820–30; v. use of reduplication of pooh1
Related formspooh-pooh·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pooh-pooh

British Dictionary definitions for pooh-pooh

pooh-pooh

/ (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
Word Origin and History for pooh-pooh

pooh-pooh

v.

"to dismiss lightly and contemptuously," 1827, a slang reduplication of dismissive expression pooh. Among the many 19th century theories of the origin of language was the Pooh-pooh theory (1860), which held that language grew from natural expressions of surprise, joy, pain, or grief.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper