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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pony up
That’s free enterprise — but Broward would pony up $17 million for the land and closing costs.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Let massive companies pony up to pay for their pollution and tell your state representatives to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
Commercial messages are further limited to a trio of on-air sponsors (IBM, AT&T and Mercedes-Benz), which pony up what amounts to a $25 million greens fee.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2026
Now in his 70s, Mike recently elected to give up his tickets rather than pony up for a PSL — a fee paid by customers of some NFL franchises to gain the right to purchase season tickets.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pony up
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Let massive companies pony up to pay for their pollution and tell your state representatives to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
Commercial messages are further limited to a trio of on-air sponsors (IBM, AT&T and Mercedes-Benz), which pony up what amounts to a $25 million greens fee.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2026
Now in his 70s, Mike recently elected to give up his tickets rather than pony up for a PSL — a fee paid by customers of some NFL franchises to gain the right to purchase season tickets.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pony up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pony up
Verb
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Bourzgui, whose father immigrated to America from Morocco, went on to pay tribute to Palestine and his own Arab heritage.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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Already, attention must be paid, and italics must be used, because eyepatch Armand is, to use his favorite word, fascinating.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The government recently announced another recruitment drive, offering to pay off debts of up to $140,000 for men who sign up and might otherwise face penalties for defaulting.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Breaking that cycle pays off quickly.—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Stiller even made showing up to the media duties special for Knicks coach Mike Brown, who finally got to meet Stiller.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
8 June 2026
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Xi and Kim last met in September, when the North Korean leader was among a host of global leaders at a military parade in Beijing – with Kim seated next to Xi for the event.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pony up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pony%20up. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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