groom

noun \ ˈgrüm , ˈgru̇m \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of groom

1 archaic : man, fellow

2 a (1) archaic : manservant

(2) : one of several officers of the English royal household

b : a person responsible for the feeding, exercising, and stabling of horses

3 : bridegroom

See groom defined for English-language learners

See groom defined for kids

Recent Examples of groom from the Web

So how does a prospective guest decline when the bride or groom is a close friend or relative?

— Washington Post, "Destination weddings mixed financial bag for couples, guests," 10 Apr. 2018
Florist Phillippa Craddock will be tasked with achieving the bride and groom's vision for their wedding day, reports CNN.

— carrie goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything You Need to Know About The Flowers at the Royal Wedding," 1 Apr. 2018
Those spots are reserved for immediate family and close friends of the bride and groom.

— madeline farber, Fox News, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding: Everything you need to know," 1 Apr. 2018
After all, an engagement party is supposed to be an opportunity for the bride and groom's respective worlds to collide.

— mekita rivas, chicagotribune.com, "Why host an engagement party? The real celebration already happened on social media," 31 Mar. 2018
Today's bride and groom are eight years older than the average couple who got married in 1971.

— carly breit, Country Living, "This Is How Long the Average Couple Dates Before Getting Married," 26 July 2017
Those spots are reserved for immediate family and close friends of the bride and groom.

— madeline farber, Fox News, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding: Everything you need to know," 26 Mar. 2018
Hurd shared another photo of the two smooching as bride and groom.

— carly mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Country music romance: Maren Morris marries Ryan Hurd," 25 Mar. 2018
Along with beautiful bowls and other vessels scattered through the rooms, a traditional bride and groom set of mini-dolls, often given as wedding gifts, coexist with stamp carvings that hark back centuries as symbols of power.

— sally friedman, Philly.com, "Moorestown family honors its Chinese heritage in a modern setting," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'groom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of groom

Middle English grom

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

groom

verb

Definition of groom

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 woman

3 : to get into readiness for a specific objective : prepare

was being groomed as a presidential candidate

intransitive verb

: to groom oneself

See groom defined for English-language learners

Examples of groom in a Sentence

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 of groom from the Web

His career is now in the hands of the coach who groomed Manziel in College Station.

— joan niesen, SI.com, "Spring Game Storylines: What to Watch at Saturday's Main Events," 13 Apr. 2018
For instance, activating galanin neurons in virgin male mice, who normally attack and kill pups, elicited grooming behaviors instead.

— lydia denworth, Scientific American, "A Command Center in the Mammalian Brain Orchestrates Parenting Behaviors," 11 Apr. 2018
Men's Grooming - A section of the store filled with fragrances and other grooming products will also feature a barber chair.

— charisse jones, USA TODAY, "Nordstrom's first NYC store offers cocktails, round the clock pick up and even a shave," 9 Apr. 2018
On Thursday, Nordstrom will open its first full-line store in Manhattan, a sleek, three-floor home to men’s clothing, shoes and grooming supplies at 57th Street and Broadway.

— michael corkery, New York Times, "Nordstrom Opening a New York Store as Other Retailers Close Theirs," 8 Apr. 2018
There will be a bounce house, giant slide, face painting, dog training demonstrations, grooming tips, taste treats from Souplantation, chair massages and pet adoptions from local rescue groups.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego County Youth of the Year picked," 7 Apr. 2018
And this foundation is going to be an opportunity for both of them to roll up their sleeves and get to work and continue to be a force for good and to help groom the next generation of leaders.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett on Recode Decode," 5 Apr. 2018
Kentucky business owners and managers who groom dogs, collect greens fees at golf courses and run auto-repair shops are bracing for a change in state law that would force them to start charging sale taxes.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky auto repair, bowling centers, pet groomers brace for new sales tax plan," 4 Apr. 2018
Nonetheless, the change appears to be amicable and well-planned, with Mr. Sims being hand-picked and groomed for the job.’’ The shares dropped 4.8 percent to C$24.08 at 10 a.m. in Toronto.

— Bloomberg.com, "WestJet CEO Resigns Unexpectedly Amid Pilot Negotiations," 3 Apr. 2018