POOH-POOH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pooh-pooh mean? 

• POOH-POOH (verb)
  The verb POOH-POOH has 2 senses:

1. express contempt about

2. reject with contempt

  Familiarity information: POOH-POOH used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POOH-POOH (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they pooh-pooh    ... he / she / it pooh-poohs   
Past simple: pooh-poohed   
Past participle: pooh-poohed   
-ing form: pooh-poohing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Express contempt about

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "pooh-pooh" is one way to...):

express; give tongue to; utter; verbalise; verbalize (articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Reject with contempt

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

disdain; freeze off; pooh-pooh; reject; scorn; spurn; turn down

Context example:

She spurned his advances

Hypernyms (to "pooh-pooh" is one way to...):

decline; refuse (show unwillingness towards)

Verb group:

decline; pass up; refuse; reject; turn down (refuse to accept)

refuse; reject; turn away; turn down (refuse entrance or membership)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pooh-pooh"):

rebuff; repel; snub (reject outright and bluntly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

 Context examples 

When I told Mrs. Westenra that Dr. Van Helsing had directed that I should sit up with her she almost pooh-poohed the idea, pointing out her daughter's renewed strength and excellent spirits.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)