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.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pooh-poohing
Verb
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That included dismissing all claims against the Herald defendants and Mayor Wu.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026 -
Media covered the story briefly before dismissing it as youthful overreaction or isolated activism.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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In social services, the Legislature is rejecting a cut by the governor to popular in-home supportive service care funding for Californians with disabilities — including older adults and children.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
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Cornyn then doubled down, rejecting the premise that procedural effort can substitute for votes and escalating his criticism of Republican messaging.—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Beloved actor Ron Perlman fully leans into trying to make the contestants fail this task by forcing eye contact, asking them polite questions, rebuking their bad manners in ignoring him, and even doggedly getting into their personal space.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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Unfortunately, sometimes the brain is too efficient, leading us to cling to false information and unproductive habits while ignoring information that could clearly benefit us.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pooh-poohing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-poohing. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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