groom

[ groom, groom ]

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 (a trail) for a specific use, such as skiing, biking, or hiking:

   The resort is currently grooming 7 miles of cross-country ski trails for your enjoyment this winter.

4. to prepare for a position, election, etc.:

   Both of these young goalies are being groomed for roles in the NHL.

5. to condition or manipulate (a victim) emotionally over time, as through friendship, gifts, flattery, etc., in order to entrap the person in a sexually abusive or predatory relationship.
6. (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.

groom

/ ɡruːm; ɡrʊm /

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.
   a young man

verb

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, etc

   to 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 Forms

• ˈgroomer, noun
• ˈgrooming, noun

Other Words From

• groom·er noun
• groom·ish adjective
• groom·ish·ly adverb
• non·groom·ing adjective
• re·groom verb (used with object)
• un·groomed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of groom¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English grom, grome, groum “infant boy, boy, youth, groom”; further origin obscure; akin to grow

Word History and Origins

Origin of groom¹

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

Example Sentences

Mongolian Groom suffered a fatal injury to his left-hind leg at the top of the stretch in the biggest Breeders’ Cup race, the Classic.

From Los Angeles Times

“That is a 99.6% accuracy rate. The decision was wrong on only one horse: Mongolian Groom.”

From Los Angeles Times

That is "something that adults are likely to exploit when they're looking to groom children," says Rani Govender, child safety online policy manager at the NSPCC.

From BBC

On one hand, the diffusion of bats across the landscape could slow the march of white-nose syndrome, which is primarily spread between bats when they groom or touch each other.

From Los Angeles Times

In one incident, it took McCartney just nine minutes to groom, sexually abuse and blackmail a girl of only 12 years of age.

From BBC

Related Words

• comb
• educate
• prim
• tend