grooming

noun

1. the care of a body and its physical appearance, such as the personal hygiene routine of brushing one’s teeth or combing one’s hair, or the washing, brushing, etc., of a dog or horse.

   Grooming your dogs at home is less expensive than taking them to the groomer, if you can stand the wet dog smell and the hair that ends up everywhere.

2. the act or result of preparing a trail for a specific use, such as skiing, biking, or hiking.

   Donation boxes have been posted at each trail to cover their grooming and other maintenance costs.

3. the act or process of preparing someone to fill a position or role or to undertake an activity.

   The grooming of new personnel to handle additional responsibilities requires team leaders who will act as mentors and share constructive feedback.

4. an act or instance of engaging in behaviors or practices intended to gradually condition or emotionally manipulate a victim over time, as through friendship, gifts, flattery, etc., in order to entrap the person in a sexually abusive or predatory relationship.

   The ongoing targeting and grooming of minors online shows that our safety protocols for children on the internet are insufficient.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grooming¹

First recorded in 1810–20 grooming for def. 1 and in 1985–90 grooming for def. 4; groom ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

His son described the way the scammers enticed his father into making an investment as "grooming".

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The results mirrored a 2020 study of vampire bats showing that newcomers also test the waters, slowly progressing from grooming relationships to more substantial food-sharing partnerships with trusted companions.

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Bath & Body Works will be exiting some of those new categories such as hair care and men’s grooming.

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The commissioner warned against using "grooming gangs" as a catch-all term because offending includes abuse within families, in institutions, between peers and online.

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Examining his devices, they uncovered a persistent campaign of grooming using Snapchat.

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Related Words

• admonition 
• censure 
• rebuke