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

Rebecca wore her simple weekday covering over her hair, which had been pulled back in a ponytail, then braided and pinned up on the back of her head. — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026

The album cover is a close-up, black-and-white photograph of Grande smiling, her hair loose and covering part of her face, a deliberate departure from the sleek ponytail that has defined her public image for close to a decade. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Even the album cover is part of her statement, wearing her hair down and loose — Ariana abandoning her ponytail is as iconic as George Michael setting fire to his leather jacket. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026

The record’s grainy black-and-white cover shows her with her hair—usually scraped back in her trademark ponytail, or lately a bun, another kind of disguise—loose and scattered over her laughing face. — Aimee Cliff, Pitchfork, 31 July 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