Definition of 'pony'

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pony

(poʊni

)

Word forms: plural ponies

countable noun

A pony is a small or young horse.

American English pronunciation

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British English pronunciation

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pony in American English

(ˈpoʊni )

nounWord forms: plural poniesOrigin: Scot powny, prob. < OFr poulenet, dim. of poulain, a colt, foal < VL pullamen, young animals < L pullus, young animal, foal

a horse of any of a number of small breeds, usually not over 58 inches high at the withers

something small of its kind

b. US

a small liqueur glass or the amount it will hold, typically 1 ounce

3. US? alteration of pons asinorum informal

a literal translation of a work in a foreign language, used in doing schoolwork, often dishonestly; crib

4. informal

any young horse; foal

5. US, slang

a racehorse

6. British, slang

the sum of twenty-five pounds

verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ponied, ponying US

7. slang

to pay (money), as to settle an account [with up]

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pony in American English

(ˈpouni) (noun plural -nies, verb -nied, -nying)

noun

a small horse of any of several breeds, usually not higher at the shoulder than 141⁄2 hands (58 in./146 cm)

a horse of any small type or breed

3. slang

a literal translation or other text, used illicitly as an aid in schoolwork or while taking a test; crib

something small of its kind

a small glass for liquor

the amount of liquor it will hold, usually one ounce (29.6 ml)

a small beverage bottle, often holding seven ounces (196 g)

We bought a dozen ponies of Mexican beer

8. old-fashioned slang

a diminutive chorus girl

9. See pony pack

10. Brit slang

the sum of 25 pounds

transitive verb

11. slang

to prepare (lessons) by means of a pony

12. Racing slang

to be the outrider for (a racehorse)

to exercise (a racehorse) by having a rider mounted on another horse lead it at a gallop around a track

intransitive verb

13.

to prepare a lesson or lessons with the aid of a pony

14. See pony up

Word origin

[1650–60; earlier powney ‹ obs. F poulenet, dim. of poulain colt ‹ ML pullānus (L pull(us) foal + -ānus -an); see -et]

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pony in British English

(ˈpəʊnɪ

)

nounWord forms: plural ponies

any of various breeds of small horse, usually under 14.2 hands

a small drinking glass, esp for liqueurs

the amount held by such a glass

anything small of its kind

4. British slang

a sum of £25, esp in bookmaking

5. Also called: trot US slang

a literal translation used by students, often illicitly, in preparation for foreign language lessons or examinations; crib

Word origin

C17: from Scottish powney, perhaps from obsolete French poulenet a little colt, from poulain colt, from Latin pullus young animal, foal

Examples of 'pony' in a sentence
pony

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Makes me tempted to pony up and buy the collected stories in hardback.Forest ponies eat a huge quantity of holly during the cold weather.She was in pony races from the age of nine.They elected a pony as the mayor?Pony rides in the countryside.He spent hours fishing in the lake and riding polo ponies from a neighbouring farm. Five people have been charged after the discovery of scores of neglected horses, ponies and donkeys.I sold them at pony club shows to supplement my pocket money.She ran PEN as she ran the pony clubs.The small, hardy ponies have roamed Dartmoor for centuries.