groom

1 of 2

noun

ˈgrüm  ˈgru̇m 

1

: bridegroom

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

3

archaic : man, fellow

groom

2 of 2

verb

groomed; grooming; grooms

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to groom oneself

grooming in front of the mirror

Synonyms of groom

Verb

• prepare

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

Noun

The groom spent his wedding night wearing his family’s blood. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

This year alone, five children from Ebony have gone on to the British Racing School, the National Stud and the National Horse Racing College to get their qualifications as a groom to work in the equine industry. — Danielle Rossingh, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Verb

Alger loved grooming young people for business and often returned to his alma mater. — Sheryl Lee, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Baker is taking a hiatus from competing after her mother decided to ‘retire’ from the grooming side of the equation. — Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English grom

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for groom

• blume
• boom
• broom
• doom
• flume
• fume
• gloom
• glume
• loom
• plume
• rheum
• room

Kids Definition

groom

1 of 2 noun

ˈgrüm  ˈgru̇m 

1

a

archaic : a male servant

b

: a person in charge of horses

2

: bridegroom

groom

2 of 2 verb

1

: to clean and keep up the appearance of (as the coat of a horse or dog)

2

: to make neat, attractive, or acceptable