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 of preacher

• priest
• clergyman
• pastor
• minister
• reverend

Examples of preacher in a Sentence

the marriage will be performed by our usual preacher

Recent Examples on the Web

Complicating matters is the charismatic doomsday preacher who is quickly leading the small town to the verge of hysteria. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026

Some religious tracts and pamphlets had been sent by radio preachers after Mama or Daddy had mailed them a dollar. —Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026

Madison also condemned the jailing of dissenting preachers by Colonial authorities. —Corey D. B. Walker, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026

Like any good country preacher, Jackson could move people to tears and move them to act. —Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing preacher

• preacher curl

Rhymes for preacher

• bleacher
• creature
• feature
• reacher
• teacher
• schoolteacher

Kids Definition

preacher

noun

preach·​er

ˈprē-chər

: one that preaches

especially : minister entry 1 sense 1b