preacher

noun

preach·​er ˈprē-chər 

plural preachers

: one who preaches: such as

a

: a person who delivers a sermon publicly

a street preacher

b

: one whose function is to preach sermons : pastor, minister

She waited patiently on a Sunday morning until the crowd had said good-by to the preacher.

—Don Jeffries

"What kind of preacher are you? What denomination?" "I was ordained in a Baptist church, but I'm sort of nondenominational now."

—John Grisham

c

: one who inculcates or exhorts something earnestly or officiously

… he was an ardent preacher of gentlemanly ethics …

—Paul Schullery

… he was perceived by the larger world, not inaccurately, as a preacher of the hatred.

—Nicholas Lemann

Synonyms

• clergyperson
• cleric
• clerical
• clerk
• deacon
• divine
• dominie
• ecclesiastic
• minister
• priest
• reverend

Examples of preacher in a Sentence

the marriage will be performed by our usual preacher

Recent Examples on the Web

The abolitionist, women’s rights advocate and preacher was born into slavery in New York, sold four times, then escaped in 1826. —The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024

Bonhoeffer tells the story of a preacher at the center of a plot to assassinate Hitler. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Nov. 2024

In the show, Falwell and other conservative preachers take offense to the Bakkers' more secular message and set out to dismantle their ministry while advancing their version of traditional values up to the White House. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

The penultimate chapter of The Last of Us centers Ellie and her discovery of a vile preacher named David, a cultist who has turned his people into monsters by feeding them human flesh. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

preacher

noun

preach·​er

ˈprē-chər

: one that preaches

especially : minister entry 1 sense 1b