poncho

American  

[pon-choh] / ˈpɒn tʃoʊ /

noun

• ponchos
  plural

1. a blanketlike cloak with a hole in the center to admit the head, originating in South America, now often worn as a raincoat.

---

poncho British  

/ ˈpɒntʃəʊ /

noun

1. a cloak of a kind originally worn in South America, made of a rectangular or circular piece of cloth, esp wool, with a hole in the middle to put the head through

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ponchoed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ponchos
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of poncho

First recorded in 1710–20; from Latin American Spanish: further origin uncertain; perhaps from Araucanian pontho “woolen fabric”; perhaps from Old Spanish poncho “a mantle or cloak”; perhaps a back formation from ponchón “lazy, sluggish”; perhaps an alteration of unrecorded pochón, an augmentative of pocho “pale, faded,” and probably akin to pachón “phlegmatic, sluggish”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poncho ponchos

First: a rain poncho for my kid’s bike seat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

But the road wasn’t silent—trekking poles clicking against stone, rain snapping against my poncho, the slide of rocks under my shoes and the chorus of “buen camino.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Someone had discarded a handmade crochet poncho in soft earth tones on the back of a chair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Booth posted a video of himself on James's social media accounts, speaking in a deep gravelly voice and wrapped in a large poncho.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

He took his rain poncho and folded it over and over again until it was only about eight inches wide and a foot long.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos waded through murky, knee-deep water in the Thai capital, some venturing into a supermarket while others floated their belongings in plastic tubs.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

There were green soccer jerseys, sure, but men wore colorful Oaxacan shirts, ponchos and gigantic sombreros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

The mood inside the ground has completely changed and fans, wearing ponchos to stay dry, danced in the stands.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

The approximately 70,000 spectators, many already in ponchos and rain coats, filed out and, in little more than 15 minutes, the concourses of "the Linc" resembled a huge train station on a holiday travel day.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

The rugs and chairs and ponchos and piñatas.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---