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

“Children are NOT Trans, and grooming them to embrace a dangerous mental illness is fake compassion and child abuse,” Greene wrote.

From Salon

The BBC reported in July on how five women who were exploited by grooming gangs as children have said they were also abused by police officers in the town in the 1990s to early 2000s.

From BBC

But BBC Verify found a range of public interest content, including parliamentary debates on grooming gangs, has been restricted on X and Reddit for those who have not completed age verification checks.

From BBC

Neither Prof Przybylski nor Prof Etchells dispute the grave threat of certain online harms, such as grooming and exposure to explicit or harmful content.

From BBC

The BBC reported on Tuesday how five women who were exploited by grooming gangs as children have said they were also abused by police officers in the town at the time.

From BBC

Related Words

• admonition 
• censure 
• rebuke