pony

noun

po·​ny ˈpō-nē 

plural ponies

1

a

: a small horse

especially : one of any of several breeds of very small stocky animals noted for their gentleness and endurance

b

: a bronco, mustang, or similar horse of the western U.S.

c

: racehorse

—usually used in plural

2

: something smaller than standard: such as

a

: a small beer glass

b

: a small liqueur glass typically holding one ounce

3

: a literal translation of a foreign language text

especially : one used surreptitiously by students in preparing or reciting lessons

Examples of pony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plymouth’s initial Barracuda, introduced in 1964, was a preemptive and mostly unsuccessful strike on Ford’s new Mustang, which soon took the market by storm as America’s most popular pony car. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 June 2025

Lisa adopted all kinds of animals for the property: Sara and Joe, the mini ponies; pigs (Peter, Wilbur, Daisy, and Dude); a Clydesdale named Bubba; and Lulu, a white cockatoo. —Alessandra Schade, Vogue, 7 June 2025

While maintaining its white leather upper and matching sole unit, the Swoosh gets wild in leopard print pony hair. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 June 2025

Translucent pony beads will catch the sunlight beautifully at sunrise and sunset. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from obsolete French poulenet, diminutive of French poulain colt, from Old French pulain, perhaps from Medieval Latin pullamen young animal, from Latin pullus — more at foal

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pony

• cow pony
• dog and pony show
• one-trick pony
• pony express
• pony up
• Shetland pony
• Welsh mountain pony
• Welsh pony

Rhymes for pony

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

pony

noun

po·​ny ˈpō-nē 

plural ponies

1

: a small horse

especially : a horse of any of several breeds of very small compact animals

2

: a word-for-word translation of a foreign language text