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

This means the buyer has to pony up whether they take shipment of the memory or not.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

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

For months, he's been pushing European allies to pony up more money.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

So many things had happened to me, I hadn’t even thought about naming my pony.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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

Buenos Aires-based Kheiron Biotech, an equine cloning company, produced around 400 cloned horses during the season that ended in February, mostly of various polo ponies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Now the equestrian world might be hitting a plateau: exact genetic replicas of successful horses and ponies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Humane Society staff is also caring for about 165 horses, several ponies and red-eared sliders who are still at the sanctuary, according to the organization.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026

“See the fish ponies? I put them on the ceiling!”

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

Because by the time you have ponied up for a replica jersey, a ticket for the 12-minute journey to the Meadowlands on NJ Transit and a 22 oz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 24, 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

But Californians, by and large, haven’t ponied up for flood insurance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2024

They all ponied up promptly, though, and paid their outs, like true-born English ladies.”

From Daughters of the Revolution and Their Times 1769 - 1776 A Historical Romance by Coffin, Charles Carleton

In their 2021 book Peril, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa uncover a broader angle on Graham’s ponying up to power.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

McMorris said that while these payments don’t violate any laws, they are “ripe for abuse” because companies and people likely aren’t ponying up cash just to be good citizens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 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

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to all those air travelers ponying up a small fortune to visit your family.

From Salon ● Nov. 28, 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