grooming
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of grooming
First recorded in 1810–20 grooming for def. 1 and in 1985–90 grooming for def. 4; groom ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But let's set aside the contested claims of the 2024 protests and the shame of grooming gangs scandal, and take a look at the overall picture.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
A recent poll put the cost of a date, including gas prices and personal grooming, at $189, up from $165 in 2025.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
Most apes devoted a large share of their grooming time to a small number of preferred partners while maintaining less intensive relationships with many others.
From Science Daily • May 31, 2026
Trainor said the stigma against facial hair as unkempt and dirty is fading, calling it part of a broader trend of “greater informality in dress and grooming and speech.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
On those days I had the thrill of getting up even earlier, grooming Quince until she shone, plaiting her mane and tail, oiling her hooves, then traveling with her in the horse trailer.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
