preach

verb

preached; preaching; preaches

intransitive verb

1
: to deliver a sermon
2
: to urge acceptance or abandonment of an idea or course of action
specifically : to exhort in an officious or tiresome manner

transitive verb

1
: to set forth in a sermon
preach the gospel
2
: to advocate earnestly
preached revolution
3
: to deliver (something, such as a sermon) publicly
4
: to bring, put, or affect by preaching
preached the … church out of debtAmer. Guide Series: Va.
preachingly adverb

Examples of preach in a Sentence

Have you ever heard that minister preach? The minister preached to the congregation about the need for tolerance. His followers listened to him preach the gospel. The priest preached a regular sermon that Sunday. Their mother has always preached the value of a good education. Practice what you preach—don't smoke if you tell your children not to smoke. The mayor continues to preach about the need for patience. I don't like being preached at about how I should live my life.
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.
Players are saying the right things as the Cubs face a challenging schedule in the first month, preaching the importance of not looking ahead and focusing on one game at a time. Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025 The 67-year-old was preaching on Nov. 23, 2024 at his church home, The Potter’s House, in Dallas, when the incident occurred. Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 26 Mar. 2025 There are a few housing releases next week — new and pending home sales on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively — but as Jim often preaches, the ability of companies to provide real-time insights can in certain instances be more helpful than backward-looking reports. Kevin Stankiewicz,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2025 Local fire districts preached the opposite: Maintain a defensible space around your home, clear pine straw, trees and shrubs to reduce fire risk. Calmatters, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for preach

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prechen, from Anglo-French precher, from Late Latin praedicare, from Latin, to proclaim, make known, from prae- pre- + dicare to proclaim — more at diction

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preach. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

preach

verb
1
a
: to deliver a sermon : utter publicly
b
: to set forth in a sermon
preach the gospel
2
: to urge publicly : advocate
preach brotherhood

More from Merriam-Webster on preach

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