Standard Lemma guide

pony

adj · name · noun · verb · 25 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊni/
  • General-American: /ˈpoʊni/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊni
  • CMU ARPABET: P OW1 N IY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Synonym of crap: of little worth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Cockney, not-comparable, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crap

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

Ellipsis of Pony International, an American brand of athletic gear.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

Ellipsis of My Little Pony, a cartoon media-franchise based on anthropomorphic equines.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: MLP

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A small horse; specifically, any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands at the withers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: horseling

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A horse of any size.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: endearing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A contraption built like a mount, strong enough to support one's weight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: buck

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: regional

Examples

  • 1879, “Some Queer Interviews: Interview with a Pony of Beer”, Puck, Vol. 5–6, p. 435

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A serving of 140 millilitres of beer (formerly 5 fl oz); a quarter pint.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-South-Wales, Western

Qualifier: Victoria

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Twenty-five pounds (money).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A translation used as a study aid; loosely, a crib, a cheat-sheet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A ponytail hairstyle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

One horsepower.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Topics: automotive, transport, vehicles

Examples

  • How many ponies are under the hood?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

A dance from the 1960s in which the dancer mimics the high-stepping prance of a pony.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: preceded by definite article

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

A chorus girl of small stature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

Ellipsis of Sony pony.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, derogatory, ellipsis, slang

Topics: video-games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

Synonym of crap: rubbish, nonsense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Cockney, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crap

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

Alternative form of pone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

Topics: card-games, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

An athletic shoe or other piece of athletic gear of an American-based brand of that name.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

19

verb

Meaning 19

To lead (a horse) from another horse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

20

verb

Meaning 20

To use a crib or cheat-sheet in translating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

21

noun

Meaning 21

a range horse of the western United States

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: horse, Equus caballus

Narrower terms: mustang, cayuse, Indian pony

22

noun

Meaning 22

any of various breeds of small gentle horses usually less than five feet high at the shoulder

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: horse, Equus caballus

Narrower terms: Shetland pony, Welsh pony, Exmoor

23

noun

Meaning 23

an informal term for a racehorse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he liked to bet on the ponies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: racehorse, race horse, bangtail

24

noun

Meaning 24

a small glass adequate to hold a single swallow of whiskey

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shot glass, jigger

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: glass, drinking glass

25

noun

Meaning 25

a literal translation used in studying a foreign language (often used illicitly)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trot, crib

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: translation, interlingual rendition, rendering, version

History

Etymology

Clipping of pony and trap, rhyming with crap.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pelh2- Proto-Indo-European *polH-on- Proto-Italic *polnos? Proto-Indo-European *peh2w-? Proto-Indo-European *put-der.? Latin pullus Late Latin pullanus Old French poulenetder.? Scots powny English pony From Scots powny, apparently from Middle French poulenet (“little foal”), ultimately from Late Latin pullanus (“young of an animal”), from pullus. First attested in 1659. Doublet of foal and pullus. Sense “small serving of alcohol” from 19th century, both for small sizes generally and for a quarter pint specifically, from the small size.

Across languages

Translations

88 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: аҽӷа́ча (aĉğáča) — small horse
  • Abkhaz: апони (apʼoni) — small horse
  • Arabic: فَرَس قَزَم (faras qazam) — small horse
  • Armenian: պոնի (poni) — small horse
  • Azerbaijani: poni — small horse
  • Belarusian: по́ні (póni) — small horse
  • Breton: pone — small horse
  • Bulgarian: по́ни (póni) — small horse
  • Catalan: poni — small horse
  • Chinese Mandarin: 矮種馬 /矮种马 (ǎizhǒngmǎ) — small horse
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小馬 /小马 (xiǎomǎ) — small horse
  • Cornish: hobba — small horse
  • Czech: poník — small horse
  • Danish: pony — small horse
  • Dutch: pony — small horse
  • Esperanto: ĉevaleto — small horse
  • Esperanto: poneo — small horse
  • Estonian: poni — small horse
  • Finnish: poni — small horse
  • French: poney — small horse
  • Galician: faco — small horse
  • Galician: arricallo — small horse
  • Galician: barroufeiro — small horse
  • Galician: faquitrós — small horse
  • Galician: gurrufeiro — small horse
  • Georgian: პონი (ṗoni) — small horse
  • German: Pony — small horse
  • German: Kleinpferd — small horse
  • Greek: πόνι (póni) — small horse
  • Ancient Greek: πωλίον (pōlíon) — small horse
  • Hungarian: póni — small horse
  • Icelandic: smáhestur — small horse
  • Ido: poneo — small horse
  • Ido: kavaleto — small horse
  • Indonesian: kuda poni — small horse
  • Indonesian: kuda kerdil — small horse
  • Irish: pónaí — small horse
  • Irish: capaillín — small horse
  • Irish: gearrchapall — small horse
  • Italian: pony — small horse
  • Japanese: 子馬 (kouma) — small horse
  • Japanese: 仔馬 (kouma) — small horse
  • Japanese: 小馬 (kouma) — small horse
  • Japanese: ポニー (ponī) — small horse
  • Kazakh: пони (poni) — small horse
  • Korean: 조랑말 (jorangmal) — small horse
  • Latin: mannus — small horse
  • Latin: caballio — small horse
  • Latvian: ponijs — small horse
  • Lithuanian: ponis — small horse
  • Macedonian: пони (poni) — small horse
  • Malay: kuda padi — small horse
  • Maltese: poni — small horse
  • Manx: garran — small horse
  • Māori: poni — small horse
  • Māori: pone — small horse
  • Norman: pônîn — small horse
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ponni — small horse
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ponni — small horse
  • Persian: پونی (poni) — small horse
  • Persian: اسبچه (asbče) — small horse
  • Plautdietsch: Poonkje — small horse
  • Polish: kuc — small horse
  • Portuguese: pônei — small horse
  • Portuguese: pónei — small horse
  • Romanian: ponei — small horse
  • Russian: по́ни (póni) — small horse
  • Scottish Gaelic: pònaidh — small horse
  • Serbo-Croatian: пони — small horse
  • Serbo-Croatian: poni — small horse
  • Slovak: poník — small horse
  • Slovene: poni — small horse
  • Spanish: poni — small horse
  • Spanish: caballito — small horse
  • Spanish: póney — small horse
  • Spanish: jaca — small horse
  • Spanish: asturión — small horse
  • Spanish: cuartago — small horse
  • Swedish: ponny — small horse
  • Turkish: midilli — small horse
  • Ottoman Turkish: مدللی (Midilli) — small horse
  • Ukrainian: по́ні (póni) — small horse
  • Vietnamese: ngựa pôni — small horse
  • Volapük: jevodil — small horse
  • Volapük: smajeval — small horse
  • Volapük: jevalil — small horse
  • Welsh: merlen — small horse
  • Welsh: merlyn — small horse