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• ponce
  ponce

  noun

  a pimp.
• Ponce
  Ponce

  noun

  a seaport in S Puerto Rico.

ponce

¹ American  

[pons] / pɒns /

noun

British Slang.

ponces plural

1. a pimp.

2. a campily effeminate male.

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Ponce ² American  

[pawn-se] / ˈpɔn sɛ /

noun

1. a seaport in S Puerto Rico.

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ponce ¹ British  

/ pɒns /

noun

1. a man given to ostentatious or effeminate display in manners, speech, dress, etc

2. another word for pimp 1

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verb

1. (intr; often foll by around or about) to act like a ponce

Ponce ² British  

/ ˈpɔnθe /

noun

1. a port in S Puerto Rico, on the Caribbean: the second largest town on the island; settled in the 16th century. Pop: 185 930 (2003 est)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ponces
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ponce

First recorded in 1870–75; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ponce Ponce ponces

Ms. Conner added, “We also have ponce, my favorite. It’s the pig stomach. It tastes like a big, giant sausage.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2020

If there was someone I liked, I’d worm my way under his nose, then, well, ponce about until he noticed me: peacocking.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 4, 2017

"I think it makes you look a bit of a ponce, to be honest, though who am I to tell Mr Tevez what to wear?"

From The Guardian ● Dec. 5, 2010

Stand-up – at the risk of sounding like a total ponce – is an ephemeral experience that occupies the space between comic and audience.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 31, 2010

I know a good many places where Amen should be scratched out, rubbed over with ponce made of Momus’s little finger bones, and in its place Twang-dillo-dee written.

From Letters of John Keats to His Family and Friends by Keats, John

That distinction belongs to Miguel Ponce and Isaac Brizuela, who were both born in California and part of the 2014 squad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Rosa Thurnher, owner of El Ponce restaurant and a board member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, said businesses have noticed changes in tipping behaviour since World Cup fans arrived.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

In this suburb of Atlanta, more than a thousand people marched down its main street, Ponce de Leon Avenue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

Ponce added that Joseph also suffered language deprivation, meaning he is delayed in comparison to other 6-year-olds who are hearing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

Kaira had learned all about Ponce de Leon when she was in fourth grade and living at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar

A vote for Bregetables Speaking of gullible middle-class foodie ponces: on Sunday I needed some special mushrooms.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2016

I'm 72, but I'm painting, sculpting, making little boxes that the art ponces call cabinets of curiosities, making photographs.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 25, 2010