ponytail

noun

po·​ny·​tail ˈpō-nē-ˌtāl 

: a hairstyle in which the hair is pulled together and banded usually at the back of the head so as to resemble a pony's tail

ponytailed

ˈpō-nē-ˌtāld 

adjective

Examples of ponytail in a Sentence

She usually wears her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Recent Examples on the Web

Before Trucks brought out Tiger onstage, he was spotted at the auction on that rainy Thursday afternoon (six feet tall with a long blonde ponytail at the nape of his neck, the 46-year-old guitar prodigy is hard to miss). —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026

Her ultra slick ponytail (after previously ditching her signature waves) revealed a pair of long dangly silver sparkly earrings. —Meg Walters, InStyle, 13 Mar. 2026

Your ponytail feels thinner in your hand. —Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026

Extremely tight ponytails or other styles, heavy tracks of hair extensions, weaves and cosmetic heat treatments that pull on our hair can also attribute to hair loss, according to American Academy of Dermatology Association. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ponytail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• swallowtail
• wensleydale
• yellowtail

Kids Definition

ponytail

noun

po·​ny·​tail ˈpō-nē-ˌtāl 

: a hairstyle in which the hair is pulled together and banded usually at the back of the head so as to resemble the tail of a pony