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

The twist is, the would-be brides and grooms must hand total control of their love lives to their families. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Your work has long played with pleasure, kink and the tension between what is proper and what is provocative — from your infamous jockstraps to the recent patent leather groom who closed the recent men’s show in Milan. — Tyler Matthew Oyer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Verb

The on-site spa, The Rittenhouse Spa and Club - Hair by Paul Labrecque, is a glorious urban escape complete with an indoor pool, outdoor sun deck, fitness center, full-service spa and salon, plus men’s grooming station. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026

Now the clock is ticking on whether Harbaugh is grooming McCarthy to compete with Jameis Winston for the starting job or if the Giants only acquired McCarthy as developmental backup insurance. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 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