groom

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of groomnext
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
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

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
Eventually, Jawaher volunteers as the bride-to-be, selecting her groom after a deeply uncomfortable gathering with the tribesmen . Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 May 2026 The quartet then switched to play At Last by Etta James while the bride and groom walked down the aisle. Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Verb
But those 20% off coupons to buy Bed Bath & Beyond products — towels, bedsheets and kitchen and grooming gadgets — are coming back, and so is the brand name. Howard Cohen may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026 When customers walk in the front lobby, there are two desks, one for the dog grooming salon and the whole right side of the lobby is the soda shop. Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026 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 22 May. 2026.

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

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