groom

Pluralgrooms

Formsgrooms, grooming, groomed

1. 1
   husband-to-benouncountable

   A man who is about to be married, is getting married, or has just married, also called a bridegroom.

   The groom took his place beside the altar as the music began.

   Both grooms wore matching navy suits at their wedding.

   UsageUsually paired as the bride and groom, in that order. Bridegroom is the older, fuller form.

   Similarbridegroom

   Note

   It began as bridegroom clipped to its second half, and it has stood on its own since 1604. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Groom meaning a husband-to-be is a shortening of bridegroom, dated to 1604 by Wiktionary. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   tidy yourselfverbtransitive or intransitive

   To spend time and care on one's own appearance and clothes.

   Most mornings he needs twenty minutes to shower, shave, and groom.

   Backstage, the actors were grooming themselves in front of the long mirror.

   UsageOften groom yourself. A person with a neat, cared-for look is well-groomed.

   Similarprimp

3. 3
   verbtransitive

   To look after horses or other animals by brushing and cleaning them.

   Stable hands groom the horses before each morning's training session.

   The vet showed us how to groom a long-haired cat without pulling its fur.

   Similarbrush, clean

4. 4
   nouncountable

   An act of brushing or cleaning an animal, such as a dog or horse.

   After the long ride, each horse got a thorough groom before going back to its stall.

   The shop offers a full groom for small dogs, including a bath and nail trim.

   UsageCommon in pet care: book a groom, a full groom. For the activity in general, grooming is usual.

   Similarbrush

5. 5
   lureverbtransitive

   To win, or try to win, the trust of a child or vulnerable person in order to exploit them, especially sexually when they are under the age of consent.

   Prosecutors said the defendant had groomed the victim over several months.

   Charities train teachers to spot adults who groom vulnerable young people online.

   Note

   Courts and child-protection workers use the word for the run-up to abuse: the winning of trust, not the harm that follows. The noun often carries it, as in sexual grooming and the title of Suzanne Ost's Child Pornography and Sexual Grooming: Legal and Societal Responses (2009). Because even an attempt to win that trust counts, the law can treat grooming as an offense in its own right, before any abuse has happened. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • Suzanne Ost wrote Child Pornography and Sexual Grooming: Legal and Societal Responses. assets.cambridge.org
   • The book was first published in 2009. assets.cambridge.org
   • Grooming offences can cover preparatory conduct without successful grooming or the intended sexual activity occurring; Australia's Criminal Code section 272.15 provides an example. legislation.gov.au
6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To prepare or train someone for a particular role, position, or event.

   Party leaders began to groom the young senator for a run at the presidency.

   Promising analysts are groomed for senior posts through a series of overseas assignments.

   UsageGroom someone for a post, or groom someone to do something: groomed to take over.

   Similarprepare, train, ready, coach, prime

   Note

   Often the point is succession, with a mentor readying someone to step into a role later. Two constructions carry it. One takes for and a post, as in The President's Report to the Board of Regents (1953) on those “being groomed for top administrative posts”. The other takes to and a verb, as in the TV series Justified (2012): “He groomed me to take over someday.” Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • The President's Report to the Board of Regents contains the quoted wording about preparation for administrative posts. en.wiktionary.org
   • The quoted words occur in Justified. en.wiktionary.org
   • The Justified episode containing the quotation dates from 2012: it is “The Man Behind the Curtain,” first broadcast on February 28, 2012. en.wikipedia.org
7. 7
   worker with horsesnouncountable

   A person who looks after horses, often as a job.

   She worked as a groom at a racing stable before she became a jockey.

   The groom led the nervous mare into the trailer and closed the gate.

   UsageContext usually makes it clear; horse groom or stable groom rules out the wedding meaning.

   Similarostler, horsekeeper

   Note

   In the stable the word shares its work with ostler and horsekeeper, and English in Asia has its own names for the job: sais in India, mafoo in Hong Kong. Brian Hayes uses it in “Father of Fractals” (2013), describing the young Mandelbrot, on forged papers, tending horses at a chalet in the Loire valley. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Ostler and horsekeeper denote people who look after horses. en.wiktionary.org
   • Sais is an Indian English term for a groom. en.wiktionary.org
   • Mafoo is a Hong Kong term for a groom. en.wiktionary.org
   • Brian Hayes used horse groom in “Father of Fractals,” published in January 2013 in American Scientist, describing young Mandelbrot working with forged papers at a chalet in the Loire valley. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   ski slopeverbtransitive

   To make a ski slope ready for skiers by packing down its snow.

   Crews groom the main runs overnight so the first skiers find firm snow.

   Only two runs had been groomed by the time the lifts opened.

   Similarprepare

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