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
Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 13 Mar. 2026
The groom's sister even officiated the ceremony.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2026
Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
His daughter’s appearance at the weapons test fuels speculation that the 13-year-old is being groomed to succeed her father.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groom
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Noun
The bride asked her groom the sweetest three-word question—and his response is just as sweet.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 13 Mar. 2026
The groom's sister even officiated the ceremony.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Prizes include silk scarves from Marigold Row, a travel grooming kit from Briggs & Riley, a $150 gift certificate for Wilby Optical by Alexander Daas, plus gift cards for the restaurants in the promotion.
—Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
His daughter’s appearance at the weapons test fuels speculation that the 13-year-old is being groomed to succeed her father.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groom
Cite this Entry
“Groom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groom. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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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