ponytail
Americannoun
-
ponytails
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ponytail
Explanation
A ponytail is a hairstyle. To make a ponytail, gather your hair at the back or side of your head and secure it with a band so that it hangs down. The ponytail was named for its resemblance to the long tail of a horse or pony. While a classic ponytail might be defined as long hair banded at the back of the head, there are many variations. There are short, stubby ponytails; side ponytails; high and low ponytails; and double ponytails, sometimes called "pigtails." This hairstyle, once mainly worn by children, became very popular in the 1950s thanks to the introduction of the Barbie doll and her iconic ponytail.
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.
See Examples For:
"I cut off my ponytail, shaved off my beard, took all my earrings out, bought a £60 suit - all that's totally true - the day before I had my interview."
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
She had a high blond ponytail that nodded to Madonna’s look from the Blonde Ambition tour — a random happy coincidence, Bob would later share with me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The mother-of-two, married to an economics professor with a ponytail, is a fan of heavy metal band System of a Down and held a "Sex and the City"-themed party for her 40th birthday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Some men when they have a midlife crisis buy a Lamborghini or grow a ponytail, but me - I want my very own castle," he said at the time.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
I direct my voice through the round hole in the glass, twist my ponytail around my finger.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
I have like four ponytails in my head and it’s tight and I’m going to regret it when I get older but for an hour it needs to stick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“She was daddy’s little girl, she had the curly ponytails and the big blue eyes.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
Stadiums filled with families dressed in school colors and little girls wearing ponytails finished with giant bows.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
"We know that fashion tends to repeat itself - and just as ponytails and flared trousers have made a comeback, so has this vintage item," says L'Oréal's Mr Rosso.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2022
Mrs. Das untangled Tina’s hair with her brush and divided it into two little ponytails.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
