groom

1 of 2

noun

1
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

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
Footing the $100 million bill for this over the top, three-day bash in the coastal town of Jamnagar is the groom to be’s father, Mukesh Ambani, the world’s 10th richest man, and Asia’s wealthiest. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 All members of the family, including the bride and groom, served traditional Gujrati food to the local community to seek their blessings. USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 In addition, heavy snow can bury rope lines and signs, parking lots and dirt roads on mountainsides that are used for snow cat equipment that plows snow and grooms trails. Jane Tyska, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 The poet and the mixed media artist wed with the help of a fiery red reception gown, bridesmaids dressed like Disney princesses, and a topless dance — by the groom. Essence, 23 Feb. 2024 Perspective Carolyn Hax: How to ask groom’s ‘tightwad’ parents — tactfully! — to help p... Carolyn Hax: In-laws’ absence at son’s wedding didn’t make hearts grow fond... Perspective Carolyn Hax: Here comes the bride. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 According to Michelle Winterfield, finance expert and co-founder of Tandem, a money-splitting app for couples, Costco offers significant savings opportunities for brides and grooms on everything from flowers and food to honeymoon travel arrangements. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 The bride and groom both wanted to match the elegant and cinematic aura of their destination with their fashion choices. Shelby Wax, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2024 Perspective Carolyn Hax: With abusive parents on the guest list, is brother’s wedding a... Perspective Carolyn Hax: Jilted by the groom, then guilted by the guests Perspective Carolyn Hax: Fiance calls it ‘selfish’ not to welcome his family as wedding... Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
Her character, Elodie, is being groomed to become a princess, though not by choice. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Cultivating a facial skin-care routine is grooming 101 at this point, right up there next to brushing your teeth morning and night. Hannah Baxter, Allure, 5 Mar. 2024 This might involve grooming a successor, setting up a buy-sell agreement, or planning for the sale of the business. Jia Rizvi, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The natural grass field, via West Coast Turf in Modesto, has been groomed outside Allegiant Stadium for the past month. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024 This is perhaps surprising, given that the global market for male grooming products is set to achieve a market size of $115 billion by 2028, marking a noticeable rise from its 2022 valuation of $80 billion, according to the market insights company Statista. Benedict Browne, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2024 Salons also offer a form of therapy where, collectively, people can grieve and process their trauma while getting their brows groomed and cuticles trimmed. Sophia Panych, Allure, 22 Feb. 2024 Overall, the group hopes that by listening to the episode, at least one person who is being manipulated or groomed can feel supported. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 Democrats need to focus on better exposing and grooming their bench of candidates to take over the reins of national leadership, starting with the 2024 presidential election. Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'groom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of groom was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near groom

Cite this Entry

“Groom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groom. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

groom

1 of 2 noun
1
a
archaic : a male servant
b
: a person in charge of horses
2

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

More from Merriam-Webster on groom

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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