preach

verb

ˈprēch 

preached; preaching; preaches

intransitive verb

1

: to deliver a sermon

2

: to urge acceptance or abandonment of an idea or course of action

specifically : to exhort in an officious or tiresome manner

transitive verb

1

: to set forth in a sermon

preach the gospel

2

: to advocate earnestly

preached revolution

3

: to deliver (something, such as a sermon) publicly

4

: to bring, put, or affect by preaching

preached the … church out of debt

—Amer. Guide Series: Va.

preachingly

ˈprē-chiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• sermonize

Examples of preach in a Sentence

Have you ever heard that minister preach?

The minister preached to the congregation about the need for tolerance.

His followers listened to him preach the gospel.

The priest preached a regular sermon that Sunday.

Their mother has always preached the value of a good education.

Practice what you preach—don't smoke if you tell your children not to smoke.

The mayor continues to preach about the need for patience.

I don't like being preached at about how I should live my life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Brian Bowman has preached at a number of funerals as the lead pastor for Valley Life Church. —Vivian Barrett, The Arizona Republic, 22 June 2024

Unfortunately, preaching patience to the unwashed pinstriped masses are drowned out by those who rather jump to premature conclusions on social media or elsewhere. —Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 15 June 2024

This antipathy to an alien influx is exacerbated by preaching from the domestic Left that Western culture is squalid, hypocritical, racist, and wrong. —Hugo Gurdon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 June 2024

The Rams haven’t won a title since 2016 but have preached togetherness and team bonding all season and also have a standout pitcher in sophomore Jenica Matos, who hasn’t given up a run in the tournament. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 6 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prechen, from Anglo-French precher, from Late Latin praedicare, from Latin, to proclaim, make known, from prae- pre- + dicare to proclaim — more at diction

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing preach

• preach to the choir
• preach to the converted

Kids Definition

preach

verb

ˈprēch 

1

a

: to deliver a sermon : utter publicly

b

: to set forth in a sermon

preach the gospel

2

: to urge publicly : advocate

preach brotherhood