groom

[ groom, groom ]

/ grum, grʊm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR groom ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a bridegroom.

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

any of several officers of the English royal household.

Archaic. a manservant.

verb (used with object)

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

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

to prepare for a position, election, etc.: The mayor is being groomed for the presidency.

(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.

Nearby words

Origin of groom

1175–1225; Middle English grom boy, groom; apparently akin to grow

SYNONYMS FOR groom

7 educate, train, coach, drill, tutor.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR groom ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

groom·er, noungroom·ish, adjectivegroom·ish·ly, adverbnon·groom·ing, adjective

re·groom, verb (used with object)un·groomed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for groom

Women threw rice on peshmerga fighters, a tradition practiced at Syrian weddings when neighbors welcome the bride and groom.
Remembering Kobani Before The Siege|Mustafa Abdi, Movements.Org, Advancing Human Rights|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A couple on Merwedeplein got married on this day, and a friend captured the bride and groom leaving their apartment.
Anne Frank’s Amsterdam|Russell Shorto|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The charges against the groom as well as against a bridesmaid were dropped.
Anthony Weiner Has Some Competition|Michael Daly|August 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And Republicans have just founded a new organization to groom minorities in the party.
Homophobia in GOP Makes It Hard for Party to Compete Nationally|Peter Beinart|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The groom has to give the bride a dowry to make the contract valid, and that dowry is for her and her alone to use as she wishes.
Mohammad Was Not a Womanizer, and Other Common Misconceptions About Islam Debunked|Olga M. Davidson|September 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Another represented the Atkinson barouche, with its pair of horses, coachman and groom.
Lafcadio Hearn|Nina H. Kennard
In a cloudy way he loathed the groom, and was foggily wondering why.
The President|Alfred Henry Lewis
The note was taken over to Blaythorn, as all notes were that were despatched from Kencote, by a groom on horseback.
The Eldest Son|Archibald Marshall
Davis, the groom, has just found a gentleman lying dead in the drive outside.
Hushed Up|William Le Queux
And then the bride and groom went to see the old great-aunt over at Dunbarton.
The Virginian|Owen Wister

British Dictionary definitions for groom

groom

/ (ɡruːm, ɡrʊm) /

noun

a person employed to clean and look after horses

See bridegroom

any of various officers of a royal or noble household

archaic a male servant or attendant

archaic, poetic a young man

verb (tr)

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

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

to train or prepare for a particular task, occupation, etcto groom someone for the Presidency

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

Derived Formsgroomer, noungrooming, noun

Word Origin for groom

C13 grom manservant; perhaps related to Old English grōwan to grow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for groom (1 of 3)

groom

n.1

c.1200, grome "male child, boy;" c.1300 as "youth, young man." No known cognates in other Germanic languages. Perhaps from Old English *groma, related to growan "grow;" or from Old French grommet "servant" (cf. Middle English gromet "ship's boy," early 13c.). Meaning "male servant who attends to horses" is from 1660s.

Word Origin and History for groom (1 of 3)

groom

n.2

husband-to-be at a wedding, c.1600, short for bridegroom, in which the second element is Old English guma "man."

Word Origin and History for groom (2 of 3)

groom

1809, from groom (n.1) in its secondary sense of "male servant who attends to horses." Transferred sense of "to tidy (oneself) up" is from 1843; figurative sense of "to prepare a candidate" is from 1887, originally in U.S. politics. Related: Groomed; grooming.

groom

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of groom

Examples from the Web for groom

British Dictionary definitions for groom

groom

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for groom

Word Origin and History for groom (1 of 3)

groom

Word Origin and History for groom (1 of 3)

groom

Word Origin and History for groom (2 of 3)

groom