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

The complaint noted that the bride and groom tried to calm the defendant down, which led to the second incident. —Greg Wehner, Fox News, 24 Oct. 2024

The bride and groom got ready at Fouquet’s New York in Tribeca over bagels and lox from Russ & Daughters. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024

Verb

Brent joins the cast alongside veterans Karamo Brown (culture expert), Antoni Porowski (food and wine expert), Tan France (style expert), and Jonathan Van Ness (grooming expert). —Jessica Wang, EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024

Besides Brent, who specializes in interior design, the Fab Five includes food and wine expert Antoni Porowski, grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness, culture and lifestyle expert Karamo Brown and fashion expert Tan France. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 25 Oct. 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