variants
also pooh
as in to dismiss
informal
to think or say that (something) is not very good or not true
They pooh-poohed my suggestion. He pooh-poohed the idea that the house was haunted.
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Recent Examples of pooh-pooh
One could be forgiven to pooh-pooh yet another play that lays out William Shakespeare’s bona fides as a hip-hop icon, the original bar spitter who beefed with plenty of his contemporaries while dropping sick flows all over Elizabethan England.
—
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
In Cleveland, see Jimmy Haslam scare off quality candidates and then pooh-pooh fresh faces brave enough to want to work for him.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
LaRoche tried to pooh-pooh the notion, and certainly did not wish Agent McGee to alarm his wife.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 14 Apr. 2025
But weather forecasters typically pooh-pooh their predictions.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
National Weather Service debunks woolly bear forecasting abilities Of course, the National Weather Service has come along to pooh-pooh the woolly bear's winter foresight, with its science and facts.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 31 Oct. 2024
No wonder his officers pooh-pooh Haiti’s gangs as amateurs compared to their previous foes, like Al Shabaab – though the al Qaeda affiliate hasn’t been entirely vanquished back home in Kenya.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 10 Aug. 2024
David John Chávez, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
In Cleveland, see Jimmy Haslam scare off quality candidates and then pooh-pooh fresh faces brave enough to want to work for him.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
LaRoche tried to pooh-pooh the notion, and certainly did not wish Agent McGee to alarm his wife.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 14 Apr. 2025
But weather forecasters typically pooh-pooh their predictions.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
National Weather Service debunks woolly bear forecasting abilities Of course, the National Weather Service has come along to pooh-pooh the woolly bear's winter foresight, with its science and facts.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 31 Oct. 2024
No wonder his officers pooh-pooh Haiti’s gangs as amateurs compared to their previous foes, like Al Shabaab – though the al Qaeda affiliate hasn’t been entirely vanquished back home in Kenya.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 10 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pooh-pooh
Verb
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Advertisement Then there’s the controversy sparked by celebrity podcasters Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who dismissed Crockett's Senate bid as pointless.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
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Amorim was dismissed following a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on January 5 after a breakdown in relations behind the scenes.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Khan was sentenced Monday after San Joaquin Superior Court Judge Richard Mallett rejected his motion to withdraw his no contest plea in the criminal case, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday in a news release.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
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McClain and three other runners who followed the lead vehicle appealed after their protest of the order of finish was rejected.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some designers find success ignoring social media altogether.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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However, accuracy ignores the other effects of bombs—especially the blast radius.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pooh-pooh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-pooh. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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