preach

1 of 2

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

My mother always preached the value/virtue of a good education.

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

see also:

preach to the choir

preachily

2 of 2

adverb

preach·​i·​ly -chə̇lē 

variants or preachingly

: in a manner suiting a sermon or preachment

Synonyms of preach

Verb

• evangelize
• sermonize

Examples of preach in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

The easy explanation would be the president’s enmity toward Pope Leo XIV, who has preached a gospel of kindness toward the undocumented and spoken out against the quagmire in Iran. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

While these America First adherents preach populism, their closets are full of Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Louboutin, Dior, and plenty of other boldface European names. — Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

John Lynch loves to preach roster depth and aggressive problem-solving. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Nonmaterialism was the sort of wishful nonsense preached by those who weren’t in any real danger of going hungry. — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Verb

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

Phrases Containing preach

• preach to the choir
• preach to the converted

Rhymes for preach

• beach
• beech
• bleach
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leach
• leech
• meech
• peach
• reach

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