groom

1 of 2

noun

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
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
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

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
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
The wedding was initially set to take place in the summer months of 2026, but the bride and groom decided to move the date up one year. Rachel Raposas, People.com, 21 May 2025 Hernandez will play the groom’s best man and official bachelor party captain. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 May 2025
Verb
The beach is regularly groomed, cleaned, and kept clear of encroaching vegetation, resulting in a pristine white-sand beach that’s unmatched anywhere else in the state. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 23 May 2025 Eagle-eyed viewers of Swift’s 2020 documentary Miss Americana spotted a bottle of Tom Ford Santal Blush (cinnamon bark oil, ylang-ylang, Australian sandalwood, per Sephora) among her grooming items backstage during the Reputation tour. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for groom

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of groom was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Groom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groom. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

groom

1 of 2 noun
1
a
archaic : a male servant
b
: a person in charge of horses
2

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

More from Merriam-Webster on groom

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!