groom

1 of 2

noun

ˈgrüm  ˈgru̇m 

1

: bridegroom

2

a

: a person responsible for the feeding, exercising, and stabling of horses

b(1)

archaic : manservant

(2)

: one of several officers of the English royal household

3

archaic : man, fellow

groom

2 of 2

verb

groomed; grooming; grooms

transitive verb

1

: to clean and maintain the appearance of (an animal)

especially : to maintain the health and condition of the coat of (a horse, dog, etc.) by brushing, combing, currying, or similar attention

2

: to make neat or attractive

an impeccably groomed person

3

a

: to make (someone) ready for a specific objective : prepare

was being groomed as a presidential candidate

b

: to build a trusting relationship with (a minor) in order to exploit them especially for nonconsensual sexual activity

intransitive verb

: to groom oneself

Synonyms

Verb

• fit
• fix
• lay
• prep
• prepare
• ready

Examples of groom in a Sentence

Verb

The horses are being groomed for the competition.

She spent hours grooming herself.

She always seems to be perfectly groomed and neatly dressed.

He is being groomed to take over the company.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Three others in the golf cart, including the groom, were injured. —Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 20 June 2024

In some communities, brides, grooms or their families spend precious resources — money, farm animals, et cetera — to pay for weddings. —Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 19 June 2024

Verb

That includes food and wine expert Ted Allen, grooming professional Kyan Douglas, designer Thom Filicia, fashion stylist Carson Kressley and culture maven Jai Rodriguez. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2024

Haddish also faced a lawsuit in 2022 from a young woman who accused her of grooming a fellow comedian. —Evan Rosen, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English grom

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

groom

1 of 2 noun

ˈgrüm  ˈgru̇m 

1

a

archaic : a male servant

b

: a person in charge of horses

2

: bridegroom

groom

2 of 2 verb

1

: to clean and keep up the appearance of (as the coat of a horse or dog)

2

: to make neat, attractive, or acceptable