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
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
In July, a gas explosion following a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killed eight people, including the bride and groom.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
Over the years, the gaming platform has been at the center of several lawsuits, including one filed last year where a California woman alleged that her teenage son was groomed and coerced to send explicit images on Roblox and Discord.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groom
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Noun
Her name was Kate Smith, and Charles Smith was the groom at the wedding Bailey had attended.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2026
In July, a gas explosion following a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killed eight people, including the bride and groom.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
Hammer was born in Los Angeles in 1939 and groomed to be a child star by her mother, who saw young Barbara as a future Shirley Temple.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
Over the years, the gaming platform has been at the center of several lawsuits, including one filed last year where a California woman alleged that her teenage son was groomed and coerced to send explicit images on Roblox and Discord.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 20 Feb. 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 24 Feb. 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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