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

This disturbing thriller classic follows the exploits of Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a serial killer posing as a preacher. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 31 May 2024

There are a lot of folks who will support a football player over a preacher. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 24 May 2024

Perhaps so, ventured Cincinnati preacher Rev. Lyman Beecher – but only with great effort on their behalf. —Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 21 May 2024

The pair raised their children on a farm in Arkansas, where William was a physician and preacher. —Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 16 May 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