Meaning & use
groomsman
Last updated
UK/ˈɡruːmzmən/
US/ˈɡruːmzmən/
Meaning
nouncountable
A male friend or relative who stands with the groom at a wedding and helps with the day.
Grammar: Countable; the plural is groomsmen.
Patterns
- a groomsman at something
- be a groomsman
My brother asked me to be a groomsman at his wedding.
Each groomsman wore a gray suit and a blue tie.
The groomsmen escorted the bridesmaids down the aisle.
Word forms
| plural | groomsmen |
|---|
Common combinations
- ask someone to be a groomsman
- He asked his college roommate to be a groomsman.
- groomsmen gifts
- The couple bought engraved watches as groomsmen gifts.
- a groomsman's duties
- A groomsman's duties include helping guests find their seats.
- groomsmen and bridesmaids
- The groomsmen and bridesmaids posed for photos.
Synonyms and how they differ
- best man
- The best man is the groom's chief supporter, while a groomsman is one of several attendants.
- usher
- Usher focuses on seating guests, while groomsman is a wider honored role.
- attendant
- Attendant is a general word for any wedding helper, male or female.
Opposites
bridesmaid
Word family
- groom noun
- a man at his wedding
- bridegroom noun
- a newly married man or one about to marry
- bridesmaid noun
- a woman who attends the bride
- best man noun
- the groom's main supporter
Commonly confused: groomsman or groomer?
groomsman vs groomer
A groomer cleans and trims animals or, in another sense, someone who prepares a victim for abuse. It is not a wedding role.
Practice
At the wedding, the groom's brother stood beside him as a ____.
Choose one answer.
A groomsman is a male attendant of the groom. A bridesmaid attends the bride and the other choices have different roles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “groomsman”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.