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
groomed; grooming; grooms
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
: to groom oneself
grooming in front of the mirror
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
Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
The man misrepresented his age, identity, background and likeness to groom minors and create a false sense of safety, federal prosecutors said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
J.d. Miles, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Start on the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail, where six miles are groomed for fat biking in the winter, connecting downtown Park City to the Round Valley Trail System, which has 15 miles of groomed trail during the winter.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groom
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Noun
While the groom wore a Tom Ford tux, Gerardi opted for a gown by Talia Byre—the British designer’s first foray into bridalwear.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
The man misrepresented his age, identity, background and likeness to groom minors and create a false sense of safety, federal prosecutors said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Verb
Information once meant to prevent exploitation can be manipulated to groom and harm victims.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Start on the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail, where six miles are groomed for fat biking in the winter, connecting downtown Park City to the Round Valley Trail System, which has 15 miles of groomed trail during the winter.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groom
Cite this Entry
“Groom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groom. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
a
archaic
: a male servant
b
: a person in charge of horses
2
groom
2 of 2 verb1
: to clean and keep up the appearance of (as the coat of a horse or dog)
2
: to make neat, attractive, or acceptable
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