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grooming

noun

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.
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.
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.
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.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of grooming¹

First recorded in 1810–20 grooming fordef 1 and in 1985–90 grooming fordef 4; groom ( def ) + -ing ¹( def )

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Labour's Baroness Hazarika offered an apology on behalf of the Muslim community for the "sickening, despicable, wicked acts" of child grooming gangs.

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Home Office minister Jess Phillips has said she expects there will be more local inquiries into grooming gangs than the five already announced.

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She said the bureau was also working on new grooming standards and updates to its racial equity plan.

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The review found a detective constable leading the Merseyside grooming investigation had held on to the file even when they were transferred out of the PVP team to help another unit with its workload.

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Coercive control, Ms Studd said, was "a form of grooming and manipulation where the victim becomes less and less able to respond in what might be perceived as a normal way".

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Related Words

groom groom's cake

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