preach

verb

preached; preaching; preaches
Synonyms of preachnext

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 adverb

see also preach to the choir

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Midway through William Greaves’s documentary Nationtime, which follows the 1972 National Black Political Convention, a woman named Audley Moore stands in a busy hallway preaching to people’s backs. Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025 Outside of Costco, some other prominent business figures similarly preach the importance of surrounding yourself with quality people. Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 12 Dec. 2025 For the past year, the former partner at the venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz had been preaching the urgency of winning the AI race with China to friends, colleagues, and podcast listeners. Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025 Williams says male pastors questioned whether Hayes was fit to preach, mostly due to her gender. April Quevedo, jsonline.com, 11 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for preach

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of preach was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preach. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

preach

verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on preach

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