preacher

noun

ˈprē-chər How to pronounce preacher (audio)
Definition of preachernext
as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church the marriage will be performed by our usual preacher

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of preacher The dynamic duo of Jonda Valentine, an artist and daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, and her longtime friend Christa Suppan, who started as a bartender when Lipstick first opened, share co-ownership of the two bars. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 July 2026 The librarian, in turn, accused the preacher of book theft. — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Son of a Preacherman, Choi's latest work, is an autobiographical look at the writer's upbringing in a family of preachers. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 She was born into slavery in the North and later won her freedom, becoming an acclaimed speaker, preacher and activist. — Jocelyn Frye, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for preacher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preacher
  1. priest
  2. clergyman
  3. pastor
  4. minister
  5. reverend
Noun
  • In the 1920s the Soviet biochemist Vladimir and the French Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin developed the idea of the noosphere as being the sphere of human reason or thought encapsulating the Earth.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 July 2026
  • Players from that 1951 side have strongly refuted the story, while the priest at its centre has never been identified.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of priest
Noun
  • Robin, our hero, is the son of a country clergyman.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
  • The trio of vicars starts with James Norton as Sidney Chambers, the doe-eyed clergyman with a taste for cool jazz and clever women.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026
Definition of clergyman
Noun
  • Movie law conveniently parlays their lengthy sentence into a week’s work at the cheery, picturesque Burning Bush Camp, where supervising pastor Tom (Chris Klein) sportingly overlooks their dubious childcare creds and eccentric prayer style.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • Jeremy Klein, a 51-year-old pastor in Ohio who lost his sense of smell from COVID in May 2025, participated in one of Zhao’s trials.
    — Hannah Docter-Loeb, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Definition of pastor
Noun
  • Further east, sirens also sounded across Bahrain, the country’s interior minister said.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Fedorov’s ode to his own victories as defense minister on X might be aimed at persuading Zelensky to reverse his being fired, but not at challenging Zelensky for the presidency in a future race, Dickinson says.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of minister
Noun
  • However, a reverend in Zambia — Billiance Chondwe — says he's noticed a change.
    — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 18 June 2026
  • Spirtual foundation Astara, where Guidera reportedly served as a reverend, paid tribute to the late actor in an emotional social media post over the weekend.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Definition of reverend

Browse Nearby Words

preached
preacher
preachers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preacher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preacher. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on preacher

Nglish: Translation of preacher for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kludge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All