"pony up" meaning in English

See pony up in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-pony up.ogg Forms: ponies up [present, singular, third-person], ponying up [participle, present], ponied up [participle, past], ponied up [past]
Etymology: Originally often poney. US early 19th century. According to Michael Quinion, probably not from the monetary sense of pony and instead from Latin "Legem pone mihi Domine viam iustificationum tuarum" (“Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes”) in reference to March 25th, a traditional day of debt settlement. This etymology has been accepted by the American Heritage Dictionary. Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} pony up (third-person singular simple present ponies up, present participle ponying up, simple past and past participle ponied up)
  1. (intransitive, transitive, slang) To pay (usually a bill, debt or due). Tags: intransitive, slang, transitive Categories (topical): Money Synonyms (to pay): cough up, foot the bill, fork out, fork over, pay up, shell out, stump up

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_text": "Originally often poney. US early 19th century. According to Michael Quinion, probably not from the monetary sense of pony and instead from Latin \"Legem pone mihi Domine viam iustificationum tuarum\" (“Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes”) in reference to March 25th, a traditional day of debt settlement. This etymology has been accepted by the American Heritage Dictionary.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ponies up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ponying up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ponied up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ponied up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "pony up (third-person singular simple present ponies up, present participle ponying up, simple past and past participle ponied up)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"up\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Money",
          "orig": "en:Money",
          "parents": [
            "Business",
            "Economics",
            "Society",
            "Social sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1824 September 14, “Paunch Hogabout”, in The Atlantic Magazine, volume 1, number 5, page 343:",
          "text": "Every man, save Silvy, vociferously swore that he had ponied up his \"quarter:\" whereupon the landlady observed that Silvy the less had not paid his reckoning.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1944 February 7, War Advertising Council, “Advert”, in Life, volume 16, number 6, page 123:",
          "text": "Know what I'd do with that dough ... if I'd the luck to have it?¶ I'd buy War Bonds—and, God, would I hang onto them! (Bonds buy guns—and give you four bucks for your three) ... I'd pony up for taxes cheerfully (knowing they're the cheapest way to pay for this war) ... I'd sock some in the savings bank, while I could ... I'd lift a load off my mind with more life insurance.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1992 July/August, “Naked City”, in Spy, page 18:",
          "text": "If entertaining TV blusterer John McLaughlin felt any contrition after ponying up a six-figure sum to settle a sexual-harassment suit in 1989, he is evidently over it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 January 25, Frank Rich, “No Time for Poetry”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "Only then did we learn that he doled out billions in secret, last-minute bonuses to his staff last month, just before Bank of America took over and just before the government ponied up a second bailout to cover Merrill’s unexpected $15 billion fourth-quarter loss.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 March 30, Joe Levy, “Rockers at Sea”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "Fans willing to pony up somewhere between $900 and $1,400 — not including airfare or bar tab — can rub shoulders with their favorite acts and enjoy three to five days of food, music, Caribbean sunshine and extras like a photo with the band (no autographs, please).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pay (usually a bill, debt or due)."
      ],
      "id": "en-pony_up-en-verb-YbV2LopH",
      "links": [
        [
          "pay",
          "pay"
        ],
        [
          "due",
          "due"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, transitive, slang) To pay (usually a bill, debt or due)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "cough up"
        },
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "foot the bill"
        },
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "fork out"
        },
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "fork over"
        },
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "pay up"
        },
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "shell out"
        },
        {
          "sense": "to pay",
          "word": "stump up"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-pony up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/53/En-au-pony_up.ogg/En-au-pony_up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/En-au-pony_up.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pony up"
}
{
  "etymology_text": "Originally often poney. US early 19th century. According to Michael Quinion, probably not from the monetary sense of pony and instead from Latin \"Legem pone mihi Domine viam iustificationum tuarum\" (“Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes”) in reference to March 25th, a traditional day of debt settlement. This etymology has been accepted by the American Heritage Dictionary.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ponies up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ponying up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ponied up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "ponied up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "pony up (third-person singular simple present ponies up, present participle ponying up, simple past and past participle ponied up)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English phrasal verbs",
        "English phrasal verbs formed with \"up\"",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "en:Money"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1824 September 14, “Paunch Hogabout”, in The Atlantic Magazine, volume 1, number 5, page 343:",
          "text": "Every man, save Silvy, vociferously swore that he had ponied up his \"quarter:\" whereupon the landlady observed that Silvy the less had not paid his reckoning.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1944 February 7, War Advertising Council, “Advert”, in Life, volume 16, number 6, page 123:",
          "text": "Know what I'd do with that dough ... if I'd the luck to have it?¶ I'd buy War Bonds—and, God, would I hang onto them! (Bonds buy guns—and give you four bucks for your three) ... I'd pony up for taxes cheerfully (knowing they're the cheapest way to pay for this war) ... I'd sock some in the savings bank, while I could ... I'd lift a load off my mind with more life insurance.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1992 July/August, “Naked City”, in Spy, page 18:",
          "text": "If entertaining TV blusterer John McLaughlin felt any contrition after ponying up a six-figure sum to settle a sexual-harassment suit in 1989, he is evidently over it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 January 25, Frank Rich, “No Time for Poetry”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "Only then did we learn that he doled out billions in secret, last-minute bonuses to his staff last month, just before Bank of America took over and just before the government ponied up a second bailout to cover Merrill’s unexpected $15 billion fourth-quarter loss.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 March 30, Joe Levy, “Rockers at Sea”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "Fans willing to pony up somewhere between $900 and $1,400 — not including airfare or bar tab — can rub shoulders with their favorite acts and enjoy three to five days of food, music, Caribbean sunshine and extras like a photo with the band (no autographs, please).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pay (usually a bill, debt or due)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "pay",
          "pay"
        ],
        [
          "due",
          "due"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, transitive, slang) To pay (usually a bill, debt or due)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-pony up.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/53/En-au-pony_up.ogg/En-au-pony_up.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/En-au-pony_up.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "cough up"
    },
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "foot the bill"
    },
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "fork out"
    },
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "fork over"
    },
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "pay up"
    },
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "shell out"
    },
    {
      "sense": "to pay",
      "word": "stump up"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pony up"
}

Download raw JSONL data for pony up meaning in English (3.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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