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
Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
Prosecutors said that visible proximity lets predators identify and target children who appear nearby, then use in-app messaging to groom or arrange contact — unless Snapchat’s location sharing is turned off or set to ghost mode and strict friend-only settings are enforced.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2025
Maxwell was convicted of grooming and procuring girls and young women for him but is appealing and continues to claim her innocence.
—Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Alexandra Koch , Charles Creitz, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groom
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The bride and groom also exchanged handwritten vows.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025
Prosecutors said that visible proximity lets predators identify and target children who appear nearby, then use in-app messaging to groom or arrange contact — unless Snapchat’s location sharing is turned off or set to ghost mode and strict friend-only settings are enforced.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
After parents of students in the Godley Independent School District made social media posts about a staff member grooming their daughters, the district and the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office have confirmed there is a pending investigation into the allegations.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2025
Maxwell was convicted of grooming and procuring girls and young women for him but is appealing and continues to claim her innocence.
—Michael Ruiz , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Alexandra Koch , Charles Creitz, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 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 19 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share