groom

American  

[groom, groom] / grum, grʊm /

noun

• grooms
  plural

1. a bridegroom.

2. a man or boy in charge of horses or the stable.

3. any of several officers of the English royal household.

4. Archaic. a manservant.

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verb (used with object)

• grooms,
  present (3rd person singular)
• groomed,
  past participle,  past
• grooming
  present participle

1. to tend carefully as to person and dress; make neat or tidy.

2. to clean, brush, and otherwise tend (a horse, dog, etc.).

3. 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.

4. to prepare for a position, election, etc..

   Both of these young goalies are being groomed for roles in the NHL.

5. 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.

6. (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.

groom British  

/ ɡruːm, ɡrʊm /

noun

1. a person employed to clean and look after horses

2. See bridegroom

3. any of various officers of a royal or noble household

4. archaic a male servant or attendant

5. archaic a young man

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verb

1. to make or keep (clothes, appearance, etc) clean and tidy

2. to rub down, clean, and smarten (a horse, dog, etc)

3. to train or prepare for a particular task, occupation, etc

   to groom someone for the Presidency

4. to win the confidence of (a victim) in order to a commit sexual assault on him or her

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• groomer
  noun
• grooming
  noun
• regroom
  verb (used with object)
• groomish
  adjective
• nongrooming
  adjective
• ungroomed
  adjective
• groomishly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grooms
  plural

Participles

• grooming
  present
• groomed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• groom
  simple
• grooms
  simple
• have groomed
  perfect
• has groomed
  perfect
• am grooming
  progressive
• are grooming
  progressive
• is grooming
  progressive
• have been grooming
  perfect progressive
• has been grooming
  perfect progressive

Past

• groomed
  simple
• had groomed
  perfect
• was grooming
  progressive
• were grooming
  progressive
• had been grooming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will groom
  simple
• will have groomed
  perfect
• will be grooming
  progressive
• will have been grooming
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

groom grooms groomed grooming

Although neither bride nor groom is Scottish, both say they feel a deep connection to the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Under a microscope, researchers watched the sea spider wrap these appendages around its legs and use comb-like spines to groom and clean its body.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

Photos showed dancing under disco balls, a white cake topped with figurines of a bride and groom and Donald Trump Jr. holding his new wife in his arms as fireworks erupt in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Trinidad also drives to homes and events when invited — he recently went to a wedding and gave haircuts to the groom and his friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Mirren will never have a wedding with yellow roses or a groom who loves her enough to wear a stupid yellow cummerbund.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

The grooms lined up beside them in navy blue suits and deep-red ties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

A wave of brides and grooms made their way to MSG as bystanders stared and cheered, taxis honked and protesters gathered outside.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 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

Said he: “No mules would I deny you, child, nor anything. Go along, now; the grooms will bring your gig with pretty wheels and the cargo box upon it.”

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

In one room, top clients can be groomed with Prada beauty products before trying on clothes next door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

"The National Intelligence Service currently assesses that Kim Ju Ae is being groomed as the successor and understands she has a younger sibling of unknown gender," the agency said, reaffirming its conclusion on succession.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Under Mitchell, Pecora showed, the nation’s largest bank had become an impeccably groomed racketeering enterprise, dressing up crooked enterprises as gilt-edged to sell their bonds and stocks to unsuspecting buyers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

"I think any person who comes in will have a set of skills and experience, but must be also groomed for the role."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Burgundy finally glances up and upon seeing me, one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows raises.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Across from the main entertaining spaces sits a six-stall barn complete with an executive office, staff quarters, three grooming stations, a feed kitchen, and storage.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Former senior detective Simon Morton, who led the initial grooming investigation in Oxford, accepts both he and his force failed at first to understand what was happening.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Beware of lilies, which are toxic to cats; even chewing the leaves or licking pollen off their fur while grooming can be fatal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

The case of grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed, who Pakistan has resisted attempts to deport, is one example.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Sheed ceased his grooming, wedged his pick tight into his thick hair, so only the handle protruded, and dug into a bowl of Frosty Loops.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

Related Words

• comb
• educate
• prim
• tend