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

Buskirk — his dad and great grandfather were preachers — shortly after accepting the football job felt the calling to explore ministry work. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2025

My dad was a Methodist preacher from a long line of them. —John Archibald, Southern Living, 25 May 2025

For you, Is there some interconnectedness between the former and the role of a Black preacher in the context of a Black church? —Nia Shumake, Essence, 15 May 2025

He’s become increasingly active as a preacher, not only at Brave Church in San Ramon but other Christian churches as well. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

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