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

The Desperate Housewives alum wore her chestnut tresses in a ponytail with loose tendrils framing her face. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 6 Aug. 2026

Fans noticed that Temple, in costume as PR woman Keeley Jones, had her hair tied in ponytails and wore an Oz-some checkered dress. — Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026

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

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