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definitions

groom

[groom, groom]
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noun
  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.
verb (used with object)
  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 for a position, election, etc.: The mayor is being groomed for the presidency.
  4. (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.

Origin of groom

1175–1225; Middle English grom boy, groom; apparently akin to grow
Related formsgroom·er, noungroom·ish, adjectivegroom·ish·ly, adverbnon·groom·ing, adjectivere·groom, verb (used with object)un·groomed, adjective

Synonyms for groom

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7. educate, train, coach, drill, tutor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for groom

bridegroom, suitor, educate, comb, prim, tend, spouse, husband, benedict, hostler, equerry, prime, coach, drill, curry, tidy, refresh, sleek, train, refine

Examples from the Web for groom

Contemporary Examples of groom

Historical Examples of groom

  • Your manner reduced me to a groom who opened your carriage door.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • The honeymoon will be spent at the town-house of the groom, in York Terrace.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • And Otto ran away barely in time to catch the groom, who was going for the hay.

    Rico and Wiseli

    Johanna Spyri

  • The horse was saddled and bridled; the groom held the stirrup, and up I got.

  • No well-regulated Thames inn can exist a week without a bride and groom.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for groom

groom

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, poetic a young man
verb (tr)
  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, etcto groom someone for the Presidency
  4. 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
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.

n.2

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

v.

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper