grooming

noun

1. the care of a body and its physical appearance, such as the personal hygiene routine of brushing one’s teeth or combing one’s hair, or the washing, brushing, etc., of a dog or horse:

   Grooming your dogs at home is less expensive than taking them to the groomer, if you can stand the wet dog smell and the hair that ends up everywhere.

2. the act or result of preparing a trail for a specific use, such as skiing, biking, or hiking:

   Donation boxes have been posted at each trail to cover their grooming and other maintenance costs.

3. the act or process of preparing someone to fill a position or role or to undertake an activity:

   The grooming of new personnel to handle additional responsibilities requires team leaders who will act as mentors and share constructive feedback.

4. an act or instance of engaging in behaviors or practices intended to gradually condition or emotionally manipulate a victim over time, as through friendship, gifts, flattery, etc., in order to entrap the person in a sexually abusive or predatory relationship:

   The ongoing targeting and grooming of minors online shows that our safety protocols for children on the internet are insufficient.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grooming¹

First recorded in 1810–20 grooming fordef 1 and in 1985–90 grooming fordef 4; groom ( def ) + -ing ¹( def )

Example Sentences

In other cases however family members abandon women after learning that they were sold to a groom in a different and state.

From No Straight News

Why did it take 16 years for this grooming ring to be exposed?

From The Daily Beast

But she came away from the experience empowered by her newly politicized perception of grooming habits.

From The Daily Beast

As The Guardian noted, Cameron Diaz was telling adorable anecdotes about forcibly grooming a hairy friend just under a year ago.

From The Daily Beast

Modern angst aside, those with those with specialized grooming simply seem to have a better chance of shining and profiting.

From The Daily Beast

And there are other opportunities in grooming that are interesting.

From The Daily Beast

She needed the grooming––this neglected, listless, slatternly old maid of a craft.

From Project Gutenberg

A hundred men might be seen occupying themselves in grooming their horses.

From Project Gutenberg

There isn't a team in the country gets more grooming than those colts, and not a man has been known to overdrive them.

From Project Gutenberg

She attended him during his flight, grooming his horse, and enduring great hardships through fatigue and want of food.

From Project Gutenberg

The camp looked very strange without the horses, and it was odder still to have no watering or grooming to do.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• admonition
• censure
• rebuke