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

• 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

The book revolves around the young son of a preacher, but encompasses, too, the lives of his father, mother, and aunt. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025

If there’s a mess of collards, that means there will be enough to feed the aunts, cousins, and maybe even the preacher, too. —Brennan Long, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025

Her ‘Reverend Curtis Black’ books revolve around the tumultuous personal life of a charismatic preacher. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 July 2025

Found in a preacher’s sermon, the lines have always mystified medieval scholars as the fantasy genre didn’t line up with the way the poem and its characters were referenced by famous English writers like Chaucer. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 16 July 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