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
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Escorts feed, groom, protect, and play with the pups.
—Big Think, 8 May 2026
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Women aren’t infrequent visitors, as there is plenty of work as a groom or exercise rider.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Escorts feed, groom, protect, and play with the pups.
—Big Think, 8 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
Cite this Entry
“Groom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groom. Accessed 15 May. 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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