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
Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
On the front passenger door, the mother of the groom is begging for people to send her money and congratulations on her son getting married.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026
An investigation began in November 2024 when a University of New Mexico Hospital staff member reported concerns that the boys were being groomed.
—Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for groom
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Noun
The groom-to-be, 30, is fresh off winning the 2026 NBA Finals, with the New York Knicks defeat of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
On the front passenger door, the mother of the groom is begging for people to send her money and congratulations on her son getting married.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
Verb
Photos the Humane Society provided Wednesday show several people working at the site, feeding, grooming and caring for the remaining horses — so many horses that numbers were initially drawn on their sides for identification purposes.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026
An investigation began in November 2024 when a University of New Mexico Hospital staff member reported concerns that the boys were being groomed.
—Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 18 June 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 20 Jun. 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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