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
Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
But rather than calling on the bride, Anthony went on to invite the mother of the groom, Victoria, to the stage.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
Johnson’s brand Papatui, which launched at Target in 2024 and spans skin, hair, body and tattoo care, was created in response to ongoing questions about his grooming regimen.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groom
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Sweet-treat lover Martin Short accidentally cut into Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s wedding cake a little bit too early — like before the bride and groom had a chance to take pictures with it early.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
But rather than calling on the bride, Anthony went on to invite the mother of the groom, Victoria, to the stage.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
An exquisite grooming kit crafted from gold and silver, and 19 Persian coins in an excellent state of preservation, were buried with her.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
Johnson’s brand Papatui, which launched at Target in 2024 and spans skin, hair, body and tattoo care, was created in response to ongoing questions about his grooming regimen.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 10 Jan. 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 28 Jan. 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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