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

spent hours grooming the lawn

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

grooming in front of the mirror

Synonyms of groom

Verb

• prepare

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

Adhering to traditional Greek Orthodox customs the bride and groom wore wedding crowns and circled the altar three times. — Kansas City Star, 23 June 2026

On Wednesday, June 17, the groom-to-be enjoyed a night out in West Hollywood alongside his older brother, Jason Kelce, 38, former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Ross Travis, 33, and comedian Druski, 31. — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

Verb

Valentin-Rios used that feature to connect with the girl along with others to disguise his identity and groom her into sending explicit photos, the lawsuit said. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

Officers issued a compliance letter stating Rigole had seven days to clean and sanitize the kennels and ensure all remaining dogs were groomed and taken to a vet. — Erika Stanish, CBS News, 24 June 2026

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

Rhymes for groom

• blume
• boom
• broom
• doom
• flume
• fume
• gloom
• glume
• loom
• plume
• rheum
• room

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