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Synonyms

pony up

British  

verb

  1. informal (adverb) to give the money required

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pony up Idioms  

  1. Pay money that is owed or due, as in Come on, it's time you ponied up this month's rent. The allusion in this expression is unclear. [c. 1820]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While it’s true passengers typically pony up for all sorts of extras on a sailing, from drink packages to specialty dining, they see a true benefit to those things, she noted.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

It is not known whether any of them have been foolish enough to pony up the $1 billion initiation fee—nor has Trump or anyone else said who would control this slush fund.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2026

Katerina Bacevicius, a hardcore fan of weddings, decided to pony up for the festive New Delhi affair to experience a wedding in the country known for weddings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

Investors have been happy to pony up for tech stocks connected to the artificial intelligence trade, given what they see as the potential for equally rich returns.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

Financial backers of both institutions—the Chemical Foundation in Columbia’s case and William Crocker, a banking and railroad magnate, in Berkeley’s case—seemed eager to pony up funds to cover Sloan’s further research.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.