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

Miss Manners: Should the bride and groom apologize for their quick divorce? —Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024

But rather than reveling in the exciting romance between the couple at the novel’s center, not to mention their impending nuptials, the bride and groom are questioned regarding the murder that occurred hours before their big day. —Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024

Verb

All talk of grooming a successor, first confirmed back in November 2022, has ceased entirely over the past 12 months after Musk removed former finance chief Zach Kirkhorn and powertrain boss Drew Baglino—two top lieutenants best placed to run Tesla in his absence. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 June 2024

Raised by their father, they were groomed to go into the family business of hunting down evil supernatural creatures. —Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 7 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