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
Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Watch exclusive 'Rental Family' scene In an exclusive scene, Phillip (Fraser) gets cold feet about being the groom in a young woman’s fake wedding to please her parents, and co-worker Aiko (Mari Yamamoto) has to snap him out of it.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Maxwell is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein to abuse and, in at least one instance, participating in the abuse herself.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groom
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Noun
Carrying Mandarin-style wooden ducks (won-ang seteu) down the aisle symbolizes the groom's commitment to his partner and represents virtues like fidelity, harmony, and family in Korean culture.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Watch exclusive 'Rental Family' scene In an exclusive scene, Phillip (Fraser) gets cold feet about being the groom in a young woman’s fake wedding to please her parents, and co-worker Aiko (Mari Yamamoto) has to snap him out of it.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
Continue reading … STAR SUED – Musician alleges Will Smith engaged in 'grooming' behavior after hotel room encounter.
—FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Maxwell is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein to abuse and, in at least one instance, participating in the abuse herself.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 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 11 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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