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
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
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
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
The group includes Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a photographer; Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten), a bride-to-be; Golrokh’s groom, Ali (Majid Panahi); and Hamid (Majid Panahi), Shiva’s tempestuous ex-boyfriend.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Licensing officials also investigated educators accused of grooming behaviors like flirting with children, spending non-school time alone and isolated with students, or invading students’ personal space by rubbing their shoulders, thighs and lower backs.
—Danielle Duclos, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 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
Meanwhile, the groom wore a classic black suit and tie.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
The group includes Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a photographer; Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten), a bride-to-be; Golrokh’s groom, Ali (Majid Panahi); and Hamid (Majid Panahi), Shiva’s tempestuous ex-boyfriend.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Court filings from the former players allege how Lorch methodically groomed and abused children from some of the nation’s poorest communities, cunningly and cruelly preying on their desperation and love of the city game, on an almost industrial scale.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Licensing officials also investigated educators accused of grooming behaviors like flirting with children, spending non-school time alone and isolated with students, or invading students’ personal space by rubbing their shoulders, thighs and lower backs.
—Danielle Duclos, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 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 22 Oct. 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