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 of preacher

• priest
• clergyman
• pastor
• minister
• reverend

Examples of preacher in a Sentence

the marriage will be performed by our usual preacher

Recent Examples on the Web

Over time, some preachers sought to systematize these tactics for winning converts. —Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary who held politically conservative views and had been struggling to find work. —Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

My dad was a Methodist preacher from a long line of them. —John Archibald, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

But while Jelly often sounded like a preacher delivering a sermon, Post approached those same themes like the friendliest guy at the end of the bar. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing preacher

• preacher curl

Rhymes for preacher

• bleacher
• creature
• feature
• reacher
• teacher
• schoolteacher

Kids Definition

preacher

noun

preach·​er

ˈprē-chər

: one that preaches

especially : minister entry 1 sense 1b