variants
also poohing
as in dismissing
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pooh-poohing
Verb
-
While skepticism toward artificial intelligence is understandable, dismissing AI as inherently harmful overlooks both history and reality.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026 -
If doubts appear from seemingly nowhere, make a point of uncovering their roots before dismissing them.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After two votes rejecting a contract in December, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is bringing back a controversial custodial company to restore cleaning services to Northwest schools.—
Bri Hatch,
Chalkbeat,
30 Jan. 2026
-
However, a magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence last week approved charges against only three individuals, rejecting the evidence against Lemon and the others as insufficient.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And ignoring that fact is now no longer a laughing matter.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Parents react in different ways, from telling their potty-mouthed offspring to stop, to explaining why this is a bad habit, to ignoring the behavior, or even enforcing consequences as a punishment.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
26 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Pooh-poohing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-poohing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
