groom
Americannoun
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grooms
plural
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a bridegroom.
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a man or boy in charge of horses or the stable.
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any of several officers of the English royal household.
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Archaic. a manservant.
verb (used with object)
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grooms,
present (3rd person singular)
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groomed,
past participle, past
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grooming
present participle
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to tend carefully as to person and dress; make neat or tidy.
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to clean, brush, and otherwise tend (a horse, dog, etc.).
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to prepare (a trail) for a specific use, such as skiing, biking, or hiking.
The resort is currently grooming 7 miles of cross-country ski trails for your enjoyment this winter.
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to prepare for a position, election, etc..
Both of these young goalies are being groomed for roles in the NHL.
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to condition or manipulate (a victim) emotionally over time, as through friendship, gifts, flattery, etc., in order to entrap the person in a sexually abusive or predatory relationship.
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(of an animal) to tend (itself or another) by removing dirt, parasites, or specks of other matter from the fur, skin, feathers, etc.: often performed as a social act.
noun
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a person employed to clean and look after horses
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See bridegroom
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any of various officers of a royal or noble household
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archaic a male servant or attendant
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archaic a young man
verb
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to make or keep (clothes, appearance, etc) clean and tidy
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to rub down, clean, and smarten (a horse, dog, etc)
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to train or prepare for a particular task, occupation, etc
to groom someone for the Presidency
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to win the confidence of (a victim) in order to a commit sexual assault on him or her
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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groomernoun
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groomingnoun
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regroomverb (used with object)
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groomishadjective
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nongroomingadjective
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ungroomedadjective
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groomishlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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groomsimple
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groomssimple
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have groomedperfect
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has groomedperfect
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am groomingprogressive
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are groomingprogressive
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is groomingprogressive
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have been groomingperfect progressive
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has been groomingperfect progressive
Past
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groomedsimple
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had groomedperfect
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was groomingprogressive
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were groomingprogressive
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had been groomingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of groom
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English grom, grome, groum “infant boy, boy, youth, groom”; further origin obscure; akin to grow
Explanation
To groom means to take care of the appearance, whether it's plucking eyebrows or combing hair. When you spend over an hour grooming in the bathroom, combing your mustache and buffing your nails, you drive everyone else who needs to use the bathroom crazy. You can groom something besides a person. Resorts groom their golf courses and ski runs. If you own a horse, you groom it every day. Animals groom each other by picking off insects and licking at fur. You can also use groom in regards to the mind. If you are being groomed for a certain spot or position, you are being prepared to take over its activities and responsibilities. Let's hope that you will someday be groomed for a spot on an executive board. And last but not least, the man getting married at a wedding is the groom.
Vocabulary lists containing groom
100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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My Life with the Chimpanzees
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A Good Kind of Trouble
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I hope today's outcome sends a clear message that those who seek to groom and exploit vulnerable children will be relentlessly pursued," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
And they use tools -- research last year showed a critically endangered population of orcas in the Salish Sea breaking off pieces of seaweed to rub and groom each other.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The ceremony, per tabloid reporting, was interminable, with both bride and groom delivering a 20-minute set of vows.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
During the tournament, a new tradition has also emerged: Fans gather and toss a person into the air, as is traditionally done with a groom at a wedding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
When Flo groomed the baby, Flint often pulled her hand away, wanting her to groom him instead.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
One of successful grooms, 43-year-old clothes trader Rabiu Yusuf, agreed the process of applying to be married had gone smoothly for him.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Some grooms are taking it a step further, parlaying their weddings into personal branding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
He grooms them, administers their daily doses of medicine by hand and recognizes their individual personalities.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
India brides and grooms prepping with weight-loss drugs.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
Brides and grooms must give themselves away on the invitations.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
Like Bukele, de la Espriella sports a meticulously groomed beard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
After defending Jackson many times previously, including on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in 2010, all five of the family’s adult children say they were groomed to protect him.
From Salon ● May 14, 2026
But some analysts believe that her fashion - leathers, furs, and a "rooster" hairstyle - are also signs that she is being groomed to lead the country.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
“It’s groomed out just like man-made snow,” Wilson said.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026
His white beard and hair were long, but combed and groomed.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Around 5,000 people are expected to be released under the sentencing changes, down from 6,000 after exemptions were previously announced for those convicted of the most serious crimes including rape, child sex offences and grooming.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
On Monday, the government announced revised plans that would exclude prisoners who had committed rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences from an early release scheme for England and Wales.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
A man could be well turned-out, but if he made too much of his wardrobe or grooming, he overstepped the bounds of good taste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out on Monday the legal steps she will take to deport the freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Father and Caesar would be feeding, grooming Belle and Midnight.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
