grooming
grooming — noun
1. the everyday actions a person takes to look clean and tidy, such as washing the
the everyday actions a person takes to look clean and tidy, such as washing the face, brushing the hair, shaving, or trimming the nails.
Felipe spent twenty minutes on grooming before his cousin's wedding ceremony.
spend [time] on grooming
Good personal grooming is required for every nurse on the hospital ward.
personal grooming as fixed collocation
Iker keeps a small mirror in his locker for quick grooming between work shifts.
Many teenagers care more about grooming than they did as younger children.
The army has strict rules about haircuts, shaving, and other parts of grooming.
- personal hygiene
broader; includes washing and dental care, not just appearance
- self-care
wider; covers mental and physical well-being, not only looks
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable. Often paired with 'personal' as a fixed collocation: 'personal grooming'. Distinguish from sense 2 — sense 1 is what people do to themselves; sense 2 is what someone does to a pet.
常見錯誤
2. the work of washing a pet or other animal and brushing its fur, often done by a
the work of washing a pet or other animal and brushing its fur, often done by a professional at a salon.
Gabriel takes his poodle to the salon for grooming once every six weeks.
take [pet] for grooming
Long-haired cats need regular grooming to stop their fur from forming knots.
regular grooming + need
The horse stable offers grooming and basic veterinary checks as a single package.
After the long hike, the dog's grooming took almost an hour at the local shop.
- pet care
wider; includes feeding and exercise, not only cleaning
用法筆記
Subject is usually an owner or a paid professional; object of the activity is the animal. Distinguish from sense 3 — sense 2 is human caring for an animal, sense 3 is an animal cleaning itself.
3. the act of an animal using its tongue, teeth, or paws to clean its own body or t
the act of an animal using its tongue, teeth, or paws to clean its own body or the body of another animal in its group.
Mutual grooming helps monkeys build strong social ties within their troop.
mutual grooming + social function
After eating, the cat began its slow grooming on the sunny windowsill.
[animal] + its grooming
Theo watched the rabbits doing some quick grooming between the bushes in his garden.
Birds use their beaks during grooming to remove dust and small insects from their feathers.
- preening
specifically of birds smoothing their feathers
用法筆記
Often modified by 'mutual', 'social', or 'self-' to mark whether the animal cleans itself or a partner. Subject of the surrounding verb is usually the animal, not a person.
4. the work of flattening and smoothing the snow on a ski slope with a heavy machin
the work of flattening and smoothing the snow on a ski slope with a heavy machine, so that skiers can move across it more easily.
Snow grooming starts on the upper slopes at four in the morning every winter day.
snow grooming + time of operation
Darius runs the night-shift grooming team on the busiest part of the mountain.
grooming team in a ski-resort context
Without proper grooming, the icy surface becomes dangerous for beginners on this slope.
The resort posted photos of last night's grooming so skiers could see the fresh tracks.
用法筆記
Almost always modified by 'snow', 'slope', 'piste', or 'trail', or by a possessive referring to the resort. Without such modifiers a reader would default to sense 1 or 2.
5. the crime of building a friendly relationship with a child, often online, in ord
the crime of building a friendly relationship with a child, often online, in order to abuse the child sexually later on.
Online grooming is now treated as a serious criminal offence in many countries.
online grooming + criminal context
Police trained Christopher to recognise the early signs of grooming on school chat apps.
signs of grooming + investigative context
The charity gave a talk about grooming and safe internet use to parents at the school.
Apinya works on a national hotline that helps young victims of grooming.
- child sexual exploitation
wider legal term; covers acts after the relationship is built, not only the preparation
用法筆記
Heavily marked register: this sense always carries a criminal-law meaning. Frequently modified by 'online' or 'child', and frequently appears in 'sign(s) of grooming' or 'victim(s) of grooming'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the surrounding criminal-law vocabulary.
常見錯誤
grooming — verb
1. to wash a pet or other animal, brush its fur, and trim it so that it looks clean
to wash a pet or other animal, brush its fur, and trim it so that it looks clean and tidy.
Nila grooms her two golden retrievers in the garden every Saturday morning.
groom + plural animal
The stable boy grooms each horse before the riders arrive for their lessons.
groom + each + animal noun
Long-haired cats should be groomed at least twice a week to keep their fur smooth.
Hiro learned to groom his pony from his grandfather on the family farm.
- brush
narrower; covers only the brushing step, not washing or trimming
文法句型
groom + [animal]
用法筆記
Subject is a human; direct object is the animal. Very often passive: 'the dog was groomed yesterday'. Distinguish from sense 2 by the object: animal here, person there.
常見錯誤
2. to make yourself or another person look clean and well-presented, especially by
to make yourself or another person look clean and well-presented, especially by paying attention to hair, clothes, and skin.
Kwame groomed himself carefully before the job interview at the law firm.
groom + reflexive pronoun
Élise always grooms her younger brother before family photographs are taken.
groom + another person
The actors are groomed by stylists for an hour before each scene is filmed.
Stefan likes to groom himself in front of the bedroom mirror every evening.
- tidy up
less formal; can also describe rooms or objects, not only people
文法句型
groom oneself
用法筆記
Frequently reflexive: 'groom oneself'. Subject and object are people, never animals. Distinguish from sense 1 (animal object) and sense 3 (preparing someone for a future role, not for current appearance).
3. to train and guide someone over a long period so that they will be ready to take
to train and guide someone over a long period so that they will be ready to take on a particular job, role, or position later on.
The chairman is grooming Amelia to take over the family business next year.
groom + person + to-infinitive
Several younger players are being groomed for the captain's role in the next season.
passive + groomed for + role
Devika was groomed from a young age to become a concert pianist.
The party has spent years grooming its rising stars for senior cabinet positions.
文法句型
groom [person] for [role]
groom [person] to + infinitive
用法筆記
Often used in passive ('be groomed for'). Object is a person; the target role usually follows 'for' or a 'to'-infinitive. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 3 is positive (career preparation); sense 4 is criminal (preparation for abuse).
常見錯誤
4. to slowly build a friendly bond with a child or other young person so that the o
to slowly build a friendly bond with a child or other young person so that the offender can sexually abuse them later, often by chatting online and giving gifts.
The court heard that the man had groomed several teenagers through a gaming chat app.
groom + young people + through + channel
Parents must learn how offenders try to groom children on social media platforms.
how + offenders + groom + children
Two victims explained how the coach had groomed them over almost three years.
The new law makes it easier to charge adults who groom minors online for sexual purposes.
文法句型
groom [child] for [abuse]
用法筆記
Subject is an adult offender; object is a child or minor. Frequently passive in news reporting ('the children were groomed'). Distinguish from sense 3 by the criminal target: sense 4 always involves planned sexual abuse, not career preparation.