manicure

American  

[man-i-kyoor] / ˈmæn ɪˌkjʊər /

noun

• manicures
  plural

1. a cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails, including trimming and polishing of the nails and removing cuticles.

2. a manicurist.

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verb (used with object)

• manicures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manicured,
  past participle,  past
• manicuring
  present participle

1. to take care of (the hands and fingernails); apply manicure treatment to.

2. to trim or cut meticulously.

   to manicure a lawn.

verb (used without object)

• manicures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manicured,
  past participle,  past
• manicuring
  present participle

1. to give a manicure.

manicure British  

/ ˈmænɪˌkjʊə /

noun

1. care of the hands and fingernails, involving shaping the nails, removing cuticles, etc

2. another word for manicurist

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verb

1. to care for (the hands and fingernails) in this way

2. (tr) to trim neatly

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unmanicured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• manicures
  plural

Participles

• manicuring
  present
• manicured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• manicure
  simple
• manicures
  simple
• have manicured
  perfect
• has manicured
  perfect
• am manicuring
  progressive
• are manicuring
  progressive
• is manicuring
  progressive
• have been manicuring
  perfect progressive
• has been manicuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• manicured
  simple
• had manicured
  perfect
• was manicuring
  progressive
• were manicuring
  progressive
• had been manicuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will manicure
  simple
• will have manicured
  perfect
• will be manicuring
  progressive
• will have been manicuring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of manicure

1875–80; < French < Latin mani- (combining form of manus hand) + cūra care

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Explanation

When you get a manicure, your fingernails get filed and shaped and possibly painted red. You might get a manicure at a spa or salon as a way to pamper yourself. You can pay a professional to give you a manicure, or you can do a manicure at home with a nail file and a bottle of nail polish. Some people get manicures for fun and relaxation, while others don't feel well dressed without the perfect nails that a manicure provides. In French the word manicure means "care of the hands," and it comes from the Latin word for "hand," manus.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manicure manicures manicured manicuring

In Mytishchi, manicure salon owner Zhanna has recently had to move into a shared studio, unable to afford the rent on her own premises.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Woodhouse Spa — If your pre-vacation manicure or pedicure falls victim to a packed schedule, Woodhouse Spa can help.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

"It sounded like the service would be catering to the ultra-rich woman who's just got a manicure and doesn't want her nails spoiled," said labour rights activist and sociologist Akriti Bhatia.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

"Our final, clear polish could be put over any manicure or even bare nails, which could help people with calluses on their fingertips, too. So, it has both a cosmetic and lifestyle benefit," explains Desai.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

“I was going to wear white gloves, but I think I should have a nice manicure underneath.”

From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez

Scanlon would have everything from thin, shiny shellac to sturdier "Builder In A Bottle" gel manicures layered onto her nails every other week without fail.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

An employee at a leading AI lab has a total annual income including outside investments of around $1 million a year, yet still does her own manicures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Passengers can pay to get access to massages and manicures as well as chef-prepared meals while they wait to board.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

This is challenging for users with long manicures or zombie fingers.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

His mother collects coconuts from strangers, promising haircuts and manicures in exchange.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Scully said the trust needed to be "more open to how we would adapt," with gardens potentially becoming "less manicured".

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The estate that Jackie Keller fought the government to keep is not a grand mansion with manicured lawns, or anything that could be used as a set for HBO’s show “The Gilded Age.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

“It looked like a UPS truck in here. I mean, look at me,” she adds, fluffing the ruffles of her Accidente Con Flores dress, her intricately manicured fingers decorated with colorful Zuni Toons rings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

For many, private school evokes images of elite academies, manicured campuses and plaid Catholic-school uniforms.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

The streets of New Orleans are quiet and lined with rows of neat houses, manicured lawns, and flowered gardens; it all whizzes past as the night shifts to dawn.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

She does much of the grocery shopping, helps with the cooking and has learned to use the riding lawn mower, manicuring the yard when Craig is busy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The whacker whirred, manicuring a blanket of short-cropped grass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2023

That changed in 1932 when Revlon launched what we now know as nail polish and opened this aspect of manicuring to the masses.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 27, 2021

By the style of her hair, and by the manicuring of her eyebrows, we know that she is a figure of recent human history.

From The New Yorker ● May 14, 2019

He used to work in the garden every weekend, kneeling on a green rubber pad, obsessively inspecting every leaf as if he were manicuring fingernails.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

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