as in to pay
to give what is owed for
despite having good credit, the couple still had to pony up a large down payment for the house
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Recent Examples of pony up
Suggested donations for the event started at $250, and in order to snag a spot on the host committee, lobbyists had to pony up at least $3,500.
—
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The company estimates there are at least a million tennis fans who would pony up for its app and millions more casual fans who might watch for free or listen to a podcast.
—Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Phillips’ notable injury history will hover over his early days in Carolina, but the full season in 2025 was clearly enough for the franchise to pony up a massive contract agreement.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
If the 49ers determine Hendrickson’s 2025 campaign was an aberration rather than a sign of a decline, they’ll be tempted to pony up and pair him with Bosa.
—Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pony up
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
The company estimates there are at least a million tennis fans who would pony up for its app and millions more casual fans who might watch for free or listen to a podcast.
—Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Phillips’ notable injury history will hover over his early days in Carolina, but the full season in 2025 was clearly enough for the franchise to pony up a massive contract agreement.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
If the 49ers determine Hendrickson’s 2025 campaign was an aberration rather than a sign of a decline, they’ll be tempted to pony up and pair him with Bosa.
—Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pony up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pony up
Verb
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In 2025, the department spent about thirty million dollars paying people not to work.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In fact, many retailers find themselves in a similar quandary because tariff refunds will go to whoever paid the actual customs bill.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And in November 2025 the efforts paid off as Noble South earned a prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand designation, quite nice since Rainosek admits there’s a little brother complex when Mobile is compared to New Orleans.—
Anne Byrn,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
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With their equity, employees have helped their parents pay off mortgages and have plans to make educational dreams come true.—
Vicente Reynal,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jokic secured his eligibility for the accolade by playing his 65th game on the last night of the regular season, narrowly meeting the NBA’s quota to appear on awards ballots.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Sam Nunberg, an early campaign aide, met Trump at a wrestling match.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pony up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pony%20up. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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