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

Etymology

Origin of manicure

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

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

My wife and I enjoyed a gel manicure and the signature Luxury Foot Retreat pedicure, complete with warm neck wraps and beverages.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

"He's even had a manicure for the event so we know who the real star is," Pascal joked.

From BBC ● May 7, 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 brush my teeth, curl my hair, manicure my nails and dab peroxide on my upper lip to bleach the black hairs—all this in less than half an hour.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Groupon, best known for its deep discounts on local services from meals to manicures, is finding traction with a whole new audience thanks to its blind deals on vacations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

She also spent money on manicures, tanning sessions and trips to a private Harley Street dentist.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

I don’t spend money on makeup or manicures like my friends do.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026

She did mother-daughter manicures on Saturdays, and noticed a girl on the train with a thin braid pulled to one side and then practiced so she could do it for Emily.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

His appeal as a filmmaker lies in his stylistic flair; the joy comes from watching him marry the aesthetically manicured with the ideologically bizarre.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

“I saw many girls whose clothing would previously have been reprimanded by the government—unveiled, wearing blouses and pants, with manicured nails,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

A gripping narrative that might change how you see alligators: Down in the manicured exurbs of Florida, what happens when someone spots an alligator next to their pool?

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026

Outside, luxury abounds across the elegantly manicured lawns, while a built-in barbecue area and private covered patios provide the perfect place for an outdoor meal.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

The New York Athletic Club’s facility there, completed in 1888, sprawled over thirty neatly manicured acres at the center of which stood a posh, sprawling clubhouse.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

At that time, a man manicuring his chest was something to be resoundingly mocked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2018

He put the manicuring table in the front window and he plopped me right there and I worked in the window.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Related Words

• beautify