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

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

Synonyms of preach

• evangelize
• 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

Continuity, creating a tight group and preaching calmness in the big moments are key parts of international management and De la Fuente followed that script perfectly. — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Not picking a lane From Day 1 on the job, Yzerman preached patience. — Max Bultman, New York Times, 17 July 2026

On June 27, 2026, at Trinity Pride Fest in Fort Worth, Texas, street preachers Richard Penkoski and David Grisham were subjected to multiple violations of their First Amendment rights while attempting to preach on public property. — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026

But that’s the difference between writing and reading, preaching and listening. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

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

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