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

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.

One might pooh-pooh the rise of the nine-figure donor and say it doesn’t matter.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2025

Try as the studios might to pooh-pooh the possibility of artificial intelligence taking over work formerly done by writers and actors, their own high-level AI-related job postings give them away.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2023

I think we all pooh-pooh broadcast these days, but I am the showrunner I am because of broadcast, without a doubt.

From New York Times • May 17, 2023

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