preacher

noun

preach·​er ˈprē-chər How to pronounce preacher (audio)
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

Examples of preacher in a Sentence

the marriage will be performed by our usual preacher
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.
Balmer, who visited him in Baton Rouge while researching a 1998 magazine piece about the disgraced preacher, said Swaggart struggled mightily after his fall from grace. Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 2 July 2025 The Pentecostal preacher was caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, which led to his defrocking by the Assembly of God denomination. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025 Janet Paschal, a soloist at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries from 1982 to 1987, portrayed the preacher as a trend-setter and a trailblazer who broke barriers. Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 1 July 2025 The television preacher from Louisiana died Tuesday, as announced on his public Facebook page. EW.com, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for preacher

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Preacher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preacher. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

preacher

noun
preach·​er
ˈprē-chər
: one that preaches

More from Merriam-Webster on preacher

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