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
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
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, 24 Oct. 2025
The groom—short and burly, with thinning dark hair and eyes like coal—was weeks from his fortieth birthday.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Across Europe, soccer players are routinely groomed into gambling accomplices by cons who follow a relatively consistent playbook.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groom
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
On their big day, Boyd and Mills took communion and exchanged handwritten vows in a heartfelt ceremony officiated by the groom's close friend, Chris Hart.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
The groom—short and burly, with thinning dark hair and eyes like coal—was weeks from his fortieth birthday.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Kittens also learn important behaviors—such as grooming, using the litter-box, and respecting play boundaries—more naturally from one another than from humans.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Across Europe, soccer players are routinely groomed into gambling accomplices by cons who follow a relatively consistent playbook.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groom
Cite this Entry
“Groom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groom. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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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