ponytail
Americannoun
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:
With her long hair tied back in a ponytail, a white top, beige jacket and wide-legged jeans, she stands out in an industry dominated by men in suits.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
With his golden ponytail, dry sense of humor and uncanny ability to pulverize soccer balls, the 6-foot-5 superstar has established himself as a World Cup sensation—and Norway’s largest ambassador.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Dressed by stylist Erin Walsh, the oversize jacket contrasted with her pencil skirt, and the look was tied together with Hathaway’s sleek ponytail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
Gone are the bangs and ponytail of her first public appearances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026
I knew I should tighten my sad, limp ponytail and move on with my life, but the thing was, Sela’s hair supremacy was a new thing.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Young adults in hiking gear sipped beers beneath chandeliers shaped like wagon wheels as old timers with gray ponytails and cowboy hats chatted with a tattooed bartender.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
You can dip in on any page and be amused: “I remember ponytails … I remember always losing one glove … I remember that the red Crayola was always the first to go.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 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
Davis, a left-hander from just east of San Diego, never looked fazed by the stage she was on or the stakes, calmly strolling along with ponytails spilling out of her bucket hat.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 2, 2022
Her ponytails fly as she runs, and she launches herself into my arms.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
