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.

---

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

---

pony More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing pony

• dog-and-pony show

---

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

“He’s the size of a small pony, so traveling with him could be a challenge. He’d definitely be missed, though.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

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

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

Ceredigion council said it had only issued one licence to operate donkey or pony rides in the county - from Aberystwyth promenade - while Denbighshire has none.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

Somebody had sawed through a post on the pony shed.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Our daughter seems to love our four ponies most, probably because they’re like large dogs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 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

Campaigners said requirements to cut livestock grazing on the moor's commons, under new contracts from the government's conservation agency, could lead to the removal - and likely cull - of up to 90% hill ponies.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

The book contained a number of old black-and-white photographs: pit ponies and canaries in cages.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

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 of the money being ponied up to recruit and retain players.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 24, 2026

“The horse needs to be able to be ponied by another partner — where I’m riding the horse and I’m holding the rope of another horse in case the rider goes down.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2025

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

Shorty came back in a little while with his hands full of greenbacks "Every boy ponied right up the moment I spoke to him," he said.

From Si Klegg, Book 4 (of 6) Experiences Of Si And Shorty On The Great Tullahoma Campaign by McElroy, John

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

It also pays for police, courts, banking regulators and largely free healthcare for some of the world’s most remote settlements, as well as managing foreign affairs and ponying up for defense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025

Nearby, the team store under the left field bleachers did a brisk business, with some ponying up $200 for jerseys with Skenes’ No. 30 stitched on the back.

From Seattle Times ● May 11, 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