manicure

American  

[man-i-kyoor] / ˈmæn ɪˌkjʊər /

noun

• manicures
  plural

1. a cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails, including trimming and polishing of the nails and removing cuticles.

2. a manicurist.

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verb (used with object)

• manicures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manicured,
  past participle,  past
• manicuring
  present participle

1. to take care of (the hands and fingernails); apply manicure treatment to.

2. to trim or cut meticulously.

   to manicure a lawn.

verb (used without object)

• manicures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• manicured,
  past participle,  past
• manicuring
  present participle

1. to give a manicure.

manicure British  

/ ˈmænɪˌkjʊə /

noun

1. care of the hands and fingernails, involving shaping the nails, removing cuticles, etc

2. another word for manicurist

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verb

1. to care for (the hands and fingernails) in this way

2. (tr) to trim neatly

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unmanicured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• manicures
  plural

Participles

• manicuring
  present
• manicured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• manicure
  simple
• manicures
  simple
• have manicured
  perfect
• has manicured
  perfect
• am manicuring
  progressive
• are manicuring
  progressive
• is manicuring
  progressive
• have been manicuring
  perfect progressive
• has been manicuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• manicured
  simple
• had manicured
  perfect
• was manicuring
  progressive
• were manicuring
  progressive
• had been manicuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will manicure
  simple
• will have manicured
  perfect
• will be manicuring
  progressive
• will have been manicuring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of manicure

1875–80; < French < Latin mani- (combining form of manus hand) + cūra care

Explanation

When you get a manicure, your fingernails get filed and shaped and possibly painted red. You might get a manicure at a spa or salon as a way to pamper yourself. You can pay a professional to give you a manicure, or you can do a manicure at home with a nail file and a bottle of nail polish. Some people get manicures for fun and relaxation, while others don't feel well dressed without the perfect nails that a manicure provides. In French the word manicure means "care of the hands," and it comes from the Latin word for "hand," manus.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manicure manicures manicured manicuring

Her kitchen, with its high-end tools and appliances, is as immaculate as her manicure.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

In Mytishchi, manicure salon owner Zhanna has recently had to move into a shared studio, unable to afford the rent on her own premises.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

"It sounded like the service would be catering to the ultra-rich woman who's just got a manicure and doesn't want her nails spoiled," said labour rights activist and sociologist Akriti Bhatia.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

"Our final, clear polish could be put over any manicure or even bare nails, which could help people with calluses on their fingertips, too. So, it has both a cosmetic and lifestyle benefit," explains Desai.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

I fumbled around, fumbled around, and fnally I said to myself, “Well, I can manicure good. ”

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Nail art's historical and creative roots are linked back to black, Latino, and Asian communities and the suggestion that bare nails are now a sign of high status could stigmatise bold manicures, they say.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Groupon, best known for its deep discounts on local services from meals to manicures, is finding traction with a whole new audience thanks to its blind deals on vacations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Passengers can pay to get access to massages and manicures as well as chef-prepared meals while they wait to board.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

This is challenging for users with long manicures or zombie fingers.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

I was excited when a beautician volunteered to give the girls in our cottage manicures.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Scully said the trust needed to be "more open to how we would adapt," with gardens potentially becoming "less manicured".

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

The estate that Jackie Keller fought the government to keep is not a grand mansion with manicured lawns, or anything that could be used as a set for HBO’s show “The Gilded Age.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

His appeal as a filmmaker lies in his stylistic flair; the joy comes from watching him marry the aesthetically manicured with the ideologically bizarre.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

“It looked like a UPS truck in here. I mean, look at me,” she adds, fluffing the ruffles of her Accidente Con Flores dress, her intricately manicured fingers decorated with colorful Zuni Toons rings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Metias doesn’t say another word as we make our way down the corridors, past the manicured lawns of the central quad and the glorious Elector’s statue, and finally through one of the indoor gyms.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

The whacker whirred, manicuring a blanket of short-cropped grass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2023

There’s an unreconcilable tension in a film that aims to celebrate the unpredictability of life while manicuring every last prop and casual aside for maximum resonance.

From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2023

That changed in 1932 when Revlon launched what we now know as nail polish and opened this aspect of manicuring to the masses.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 27, 2021

By the style of her hair, and by the manicuring of her eyebrows, we know that she is a figure of recent human history.

From The New Yorker ● May 14, 2019

He used to work in the garden every weekend, kneeling on a green rubber pad, obsessively inspecting every leaf as if he were manicuring fingernails.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Related Words

• beautify