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

Pets groom themselves, meaning anything on their paws or fur can be ingested later. —Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026

Princess Anne's son, 48, is set to wed his nurse fiancée, Harriet Sperling, on June 6 at All Saints Church in Kemble, and the wedding will be the second for both the bride and groom. —Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

Verb

For years, two sets of chimpanzees lived as one in Uganda’s Kibale National Park — grooming, interacting and patrolling their territory in a cohesive community. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026

The The Arizona Republic reported that Haley is accused of grooming the student for months. —Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 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