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ponytail

ponytail

59 2.1
Hair pulled back and tied so it hangs down at the back
  • noun
  • /ˈpoʊniˌteɪl/
: cola de caballo
  • My daughter prefers to wear her hair in aponytail when she plays outside.

My teens were a little bit more tight pants, ponytails, hoops, puffy jackets.

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Examples

  • She tied her hair back in aponytail for the gym.

  • This then secures the ponytail in place.

  • Or you could do a nice little side ponytail by going right behind your ear.

  • Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was smiling as she walked toward him.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • His hair was thin and drawn back into a ponytail, turning grey.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • His stringy hair is long, tied in a ponytail behind his head.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • She has sandy hair in a ponytail.

  • Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail; she had on eye makeup and pink Bermuda shorts.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Lando had shiny black hair pulled back into a ponytail, quick brown eyes, and a slightly hooked nose.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "The girl got up from the swing, her ponytail bobbing, and hurried inside.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

hairstyle
vsponytail
44 1.4

A way of cutting and arranging hair to change your look

is a specific style where hair is gathered and tied to hang down
hairdo
vsponytail
41 2.9

A way of cutting and arranging someone's hair

is specifically the tied-back choice that leaves hair hanging at the back
braid
vsponytail
41 1.3

A hairstyle made by weaving three or more strands of hair together

ties hair back into a single hanging form rather than weaving strands together
Afro
vsponytail
32 5.5

A hairstyle with natural tight curls that forms a round shape around the head

gathers hair into a single tied group rather than forming an outward round shape
mohawk
vsponytail
20 6.7

A hairstyle with shaved sides and a long strip of hair down the middle

gathers hair at the back into a hanging tie rather than centering a strip
pigtail
vsponytail
19 3.0

A lock of hair braided tightly, often worn in two at the sides of the head

is a single tied back lock hanging down the rear of the head
mullet
vsponytail
14 5.1

A hairstyle with short front hair and long back hair

is created by tying hair back rather than leaving longer loose at back
dreadlock
vsponytail
13 6.8

A rope-like strand of hair formed by twisting or braiding

is an overall tied-back arrangement rather than individual matted strands
hair style
vsponytail
9 1.9

A way of cutting or arranging hair to change your look

is the simpler general term for the same system without stressing structure
dread
vsponytail
8 6.5

A hairstyle of long hair twisted into rope-like strands

binds hair back in one hanging group rather than forming rope-like strands
cornrow
vsponytail
6 5.3

A hairstyle with narrow braids made close to the scalp, often from African tradition

is a single tied-back style rather than scalp-level braided rows
doo
vsponytail
  • UK
5 9.5

A person's hairstyle that is noticeable or fashionable

is a specific tied-back arrangement rather than any casual styled look
fringe
vsponytail
  • UK
5 3.1

A short border of hair that hangs across the forehead

pulls hair away from the face and ties it at the rear rather than across the forehead
pompadour
vsponytail
4 8.9

A hairstyle with the front hair brushed high over the forehead

pulls hair back and ties it so it hangs down
coif
vsponytail
  • Archaic
3 7.9

A woman's hairstyle arranged to look neat or fancy

is specifically about gathering and tying hair so it hangs at the back
updo
vsponytail
2 6.1

A hairstyle with the hair pinned up for a formal event

pulls hair back and lets it hang down rather than pinning it up
twist
vsponytail
2 4.0

A hairstyle where hair is wrapped or braided into small sections

focuses on pulling hair back and letting it hang rather than twisting sections
chignon
vsponytail
2 9.8

A hairstyle where someone twists long hair into a roll at the back of the neck

lets hair hang down freely instead of being rolled and pinned up
mohawk haircut
vsponytail
1 3.8

A hairstyle with shaved sides and a strip of long hair down the middle

is a tied-back arrangement at the rear, not a shaved-side central strip
ducktail
vsponytail
1 7.0

Hair at the back of the head shaped like a duck's tail

hangs freely down the back rather than being shaped or flattened
bangs
vsponytail
  • US
1 3.0

Hair at the front cut straight across the forehead

gathers and ties hair behind the head instead of cutting the front
scalp lock
vsponytail
  • US
1 9.9

A long piece of hair left on top of a shaved head, worn in some Indigenous North American cultures

ties back the collected hair to hang at the rear, not leaving a top tuft
sticky-outy hairdo
vsponytail
  • Informal
9.1

A hairstyle with hair that stands out from the head and is easy to see

keeps hair neatly gathered and hanging down instead of sticking out

How High

topknot
2 6.6
ponytail
59 2.1

Surface Forms

ponytail singular
ponytails plural

Morphology

ponytail = pony + tail (transparent) = pony + tail

The compound describes hair drawn back to hang like the tail of a pony, so its meaning is directly inferable from the components.

Etymology

The word ponytail comes from two simple words: pony ('small horse') and tail ('the long hair at the back of an animal'). People thought the way hair is pulled back and tied looks like a pony's tail, so a ponytail is hair tied to hang down at the back of the head.