pony

American  

[poh-nee] / ˈpoʊ ni /

noun

ponies plural

1. a small horse of any of several breeds, usually not higher at the shoulder than 14½ hands (58 inches/146 centimeters).

2. a horse of any small type or breed.

3. Slang. a literal translation or other text, used illicitly as an aid in schoolwork or while taking a test; crib.

4. something small of its kind.

5. a small glass for liquor.

6. the amount of liquor it will hold, usually one ounce (29.6 milliliters).

7. a small beverage bottle, often holding seven ounces (196 grams).

   We bought a dozen ponies of Mexican beer.

8. Older Slang. a diminutive chorus girl.

9. pony pack.

10. British Slang. the sum of 25 pounds.

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verb (used with object)

ponied, ponying

1. Slang. to prepare (lessons) by means of a pony.

2. Racing Slang.

   1. to be the outrider for (a racehorse).

   2. to exercise (a racehorse) by having a rider mounted on another horse lead it at a gallop around a track.

verb (used without object)

ponied, ponying

1. to prepare a lesson or lessons with the aid of a pony.

idioms

1. pony up, to pay (money), as in settling an account.

   Next week you'll have to pony up the balance of the loan.

pony British  

/ ˈpəʊnɪ /

noun

1. any of various breeds of small horse, usually under 14.2 hands

2. 1. a small drinking glass, esp for liqueurs

   2. the amount held by such a glass

3. anything small of its kind

4. slang a sum of £25, esp in bookmaking

5. Also called: trot.  slang a literal translation used by students, often illicitly, in preparation for foreign language lessons or examinations; crib

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pony More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing pony

• dog-and-pony show

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ponies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pony

First recorded in 1650–60; earlier powney, from obsolete French poulenet, diminutive of poulain “colt,” from Medieval Latin pullānus ( Latin pull(us) “young animal” + -ānus adjective suffix); see foal, -an, -et

Explanation

A pony is just like a horse, only shorter. Riding a pony can be less intimidating than riding a horse, because you sit a little closer to the ground. Giddy-up! Many people think that ponies are young horses, but they're entirely different (though closely related) animals. A pony is smaller than a horse, with shorter legs, although often thicker and sturdier proportionally through the body. To pony up, on the other hand, doesn't have anything to do with equines: it means to pay money: "If you want a cup of lemonade, you'll have to pony up a dollar."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pony ponies ponied ponying

Outside and looking up at it, the pony seems to sneer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Amazon.com, Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Oracle are expected to pony up more than $1.1 trillion in 2027, up from $650 billion this year.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Greensill persuaded Japanese tech investor SoftBank to pony up almost $2 billion in capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

A pony trapped inside a tractor tyre in a field has been freed in a "delicate" rescue.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Along with losing the coconuts, I had given up my calf, and I wasn’t any closer to having my pony and .22 than I was the day Rowdy treed the first monkey.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

“We’re bullish on what ponies can add,” said Craig Purser, chief executive of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, which represents more than 3,000 beer and beverage distributors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

And before all you horse lovers come at me, I know ponies are capable of affection and friskiness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

A row is growing over the potential cull of Dartmoor's hill ponies as campaigners warn Natural England's approach to conserving the landscape could "devastate" the endangered breed.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

They also said previous cuts – which the ponies were protected from in the past – had not boosted biodiversity on Dartmoor.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

She throws down two more stalks, and moments later three ragwort ponies snort the air and snuffle at the ground.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

It has poured money into youth development, splurged on a state of the art training facility, and ponied up unconscionable sums to attract leading coaches from Germany, Italy and, oddly, Sweden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

“College sports are basically pro sports teams now,” Neirotti said about the money being ponied up to recruit and retain players.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 11, 2026

Despite my shoddy work ethic, and despite the fact that I’d still ponied up only $17, Cathy remained warm and supportive.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2025

On the latter front, the studios and streamers behind such high-profile awards season contenders as “Anora,” “The Substance” and “Emilia Pérez” ponied up $1,000 per ticket to attend the ceremony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2024

Mr. Oyster was saying something to the effect that if I didn't leave today, it would have to be tomorrow, that he hadn't ponied up that thousand dollars advance for anything less than immediate service.

From Unborn Tomorrow by Freas, Kelly

Some of those billionaires are also ponying up to defeat the measure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

In late 2023, big banks reported collectively paying more than $9 billion to replenish the FDIC’s deposit insurance fund, with JPMorgan Chase funding $2.9 billion and Bank of America ponying up $2.1 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

In fact, all the oligarchs are ponying up big bucks for that event.

From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025

If one person wants to hold on to the house, that usually means ponying up a significant amount of cash to buy the former partner out.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024

“Or if you turn into one of those girlfriends, always ponying around after her boyfriend, and speaking in the first-person plural. ‘We love the winter.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman