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

This is a meaningful day for the mother of the bride or groom as well, and her accessories should honor that. —Alexandra Malmed, InStyle, 9 June 2026

Another Instagram post showed the soon-to-be bride and groom celebrating over a romantic candlelit dinner. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026

Verb

The bottom line Cleaning your pet’s belongings, grooming them and refilling their preventatives will help keep them safe during the summer. —Amy Deyoung, USA Today, 9 June 2026

One notable case involved a Roman Catholic priest who allegedly used his position of trust to groom and abuse a child. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 8 June 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