groom

plural grooms

1. A man who is about to marry.

   Synonyms: bridegroom

plural grooms

1. A person who looks after horses.

   Toward the end of the war, Benoit was sent off on his own with forged papers; he wound up working as a horse groom at a chalet in the Loire valley. Mandelbrot describes this harrowing youth with great sangfroid.

   2013 January 28, Brian Hayes, “Father of Fractals”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, page 62

   Synonyms: fettler, horsekeeper, ostler, sais, mafoo

2. One of several officers of the English royal household, chiefly in the lord chamberlain's department.

   the groom of the chamber; the groom of the stole

3. archaicA male servant, or more generally, a common man.

   The needy groom, that never finger'd groat, Would make a miracle of thus much coin …

   c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act I

   1 more example

   Going into the hall he saw a handsome groom, in a braided livery and a bear fur cape, holding a white fur cloak.

   1901 [1878], chapter 19, in Constance Garnett, transl., Anna Karenina, translation of Анна Каренина (Anna Karenina) by Leo Tolstoy, part 4

4. A brushing or cleaning, as of a dog or horse.

   Give the mare a quick groom before you take her out.

present singular third person grooms · participle present grooming · participle past groomed · past groomed

1. To attend to one's appearance and clothing.

   Synonyms: primp

2. transitiveTo care for (horses or other animals) by brushing and cleaning them.

   2010 (April 20) "The Collection" s1e6 of TV series Justified The wife didn't care about riding, but Owen did. Well, he cared about me. I went from doing everything — grooming, feeding, looking out — to being handed the reins of the most magnificent creatures ready to ride.

   1 more example

   Rabbits show dominance by demanding to be groomed, while cats show dominance by grooming the other. A perfect relationship 💕

   2026 July 5, @contemprainn.bsky.social, Bluesky (post), archived from the original on 06 Jul 2026

3. obsoletetransitiveTo care for (horses or other animals) by feeding, currying and tending to them.
4. transitiveTo prepare (someone) for an event

   It appears that Broderick's seconds, although cool, brave men, were entirely without experience in arranging a duel, and did not know that a man should be groomed for one as carefully as a horse is groomed for a race.

   1912, The Contest for California in 1861: How Colonel E.D. Baker Saved the Pacific States to the Union, page 51

5. transitiveTo prepare (someone) for election or appointment.

   2009, Dani Johnson, Grooming the Next Generation for Success

   5 more examples

   It is of special interest to note the subjects considered as important to those who are being groomed for top administrative posts

   1953, The President's Report to the Board of Regents for the Academic Year page 146

   2002, Clone High episode 1 - "Escape to Beer Mountain: A Rope of Sand" Our mission is to unfreeze those clones, send them back to high school, and secretly groom them to one day rule the world. Failure to do so could mean world leaders just keep getting worse.

   Edwin says the pin's already tripled in value! Kid's got a head for business. Grooming him to take over the empire one day. Gotta keep it in the family.

   2006, Donovan Grand Smith in "They Lurk Below" episode 24 (s2e11) of Ben 10

   2012 (February 28) in "The Man Behind the Curtain" s3e7 of TV series Justified I was the son he always wanted. He groomed me to take over someday, but now Sammy's got the houses, the cars, the money, the juice.

   India is run by gerontocrats and epigones: grey hairs and groomed heirs.

   2013 May 11, “What a waste”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 12

6. transitivelawTo gain, or attempt to gain, the trust of a child or vulnerable person in order to take advantage of or exploit them, especially sexually (if under the age of consent).

   2009, Suzanne Ost, Child Pornography and Sexual Grooming: Legal and Societal Responses

7. transitivecomputingIn agile software development, to review and prioritize the items in the development backlog.
8. transitiveTo prepare (a ski slope) for skiers by packing down the snow.

plural Grooms · alternative Groome

1. countableuncountableAn English surname originating as an occupation for a servant.
2. countableuncountableA town in Carson County, Texas, United States.