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
Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2026
Concerning words for a soon-to-be groom, but here they are presented as romantic.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
At a 40th-birthday party for Kit Harington’s Sir Henry Muck, held at his family’s countryside estate, a rising Conservative politician being groomed for Chancellor of the Exchequer is discovered performing oral sex on Henry’s godfather, financier Otto Mostyn (Roger Barclay).
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groom
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show current usage.
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Noun
The groom's sister even officiated the ceremony.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2026
Concerning words for a soon-to-be groom, but here they are presented as romantic.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Evers also signed a second bill into law that requires school districts to establish rules for how school staff communicate with students in an effort to prevent school employees from creating a situation where a student could be groomed.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 6 Mar. 2026
At a 40th-birthday party for Kit Harington’s Sir Henry Muck, held at his family’s countryside estate, a rising Conservative politician being groomed for Chancellor of the Exchequer is discovered performing oral sex on Henry’s godfather, financier Otto Mostyn (Roger Barclay).
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 5 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 11 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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