preach

verb

\ ˈprēch

preached; preaching; preaches

Definition of preach

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.

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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

The Rockies have preached team hitting — moving baserunners along, driving men in with key hits — all season long. — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, "Five Rockies takeaways: German Marquez, once again, halts losing skid," 11 Aug. 2019 Almeyda, who last season coached famed Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara, kept preaching patience as fans quit showing up at Avaya Stadium. — Elliott Almond, The Mercury News, "Does San Jose have the best soccer team in America?," 26 July 2019 Where others are preaching the virtues of a fight, Biden is urging civility. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Why Joe Biden's Campaign is Struggling," 25 July 2019 The franchise would likely be best served preaching patience with its young core, putting its entire energy into R.J. Barrett and other prospects. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Who Could Trade for Russell Westbrook if the Thunder Rebuild?," 6 July 2019 Oladipo himself has preached patience during the process. — Matthew Vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "Victor Oladipo could be out until December or January, Pacers president says," 21 June 2019 There’s no at-bats off, no pitches off — that’s something (Daniel) Murphy does a great job of preaching, and hitting coach Dave Magadan, and of course Buddy (Black) always wants more runs. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "Ian Desmond grand slam highlights Rockies’ run-fest in bounce-back win over Padres," 15 June 2019 Manager Buck Showalter has preached patience, telling Schoop not to get caught up in his numbers. — Eduardo A. Encina, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles' Jonathan Schoop searches for form at the plate that made him an All-Star a year ago," 7 July 2018 The Sounna mosque where Imam Doudi preached, on the Boulevard National in the Third Arrondissement of Marseille, was closed by officials in December. — Adam Nossiter, New York Times, "Too Radical for France, a Muslim Clergyman Faces Deportation," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preach.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.