laugh someone or something to scorn

laugh (someone or something) to scorn

To mock or ridicule someone; to subject someone to scorn, derision, or contempt. At the time, the senator was laughed to scorn for his assertion that climate change could threaten human survival. They just laughed my idea to scorn during the meeting.

See also: laugh, scorn

laugh someone or something to scorn

ridicule someone or something.

This is a biblical idiom: see, for example, Job 12:4: ‘I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn’ or Matthew 9:24: ‘He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.’

See also: laugh, scorn, someone, something