manicure

1 of 2

noun

man·​i·​cure ˈma-nə-ˌkyu̇r 

1

: a treatment for the care of the hands and fingernails

2

: manicurist

manicure

2 of 2

verb

manicured; manicuring

transitive verb

1

: to do manicure work on

especially : to trim and polish the fingernails of

2

a

: to trim closely and evenly

manicured lawns

b

: groom sense 2

manicured flower beds

Examples of manicure in a Sentence

Noun

She gets a manicure every week or so.

Verb

She spends her weekends working in her garden and manicuring her lawn.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Selena Gomez’s nail artist prepared her manicure with the Olive and June Nail Strengthener. —Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 21 Jan. 2026

Hadid shared several other looks from her holiday shenanigans, including wearing her hair down and tucked behind her ears and under a baseball cap, as well as a metallic manicure. —Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026

Verb

Men’s nails were manicured and painted in a plethora of colors. —Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

So your first indication of problems can be a client who nitpicks every job, forcing you to return to re-trim the 2-inch patch of sod that the client claims wasn’t properly manicured. —Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Latin manus hand + French -icure (as in pédicure pedicure) — more at manual

First Known Use

Noun

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

circa 1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing manicure

• French manicure

Kids Definition

manicure

1 of 2 noun

man·​i·​cure ˈman-ə-ˌkyu̇(ə)r 

: a beauty treatment for the hands and nails

manicure

2 of 2 verb

manicured; manicuring

1

: to give a manicure to

2

: to trim closely and evenly

manicured their lawn

Etymology

Noun

from French manicure "one who gives a beauty treatment for the hands," derived from Latin manus "hand" and Latin cura "care"