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

In the beginning, Moore actually wanted to be a preacher. —Anthony Mason, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025

Sports Rose Bowl live updates: Ohio State dominates, but Oregon scores late in first half 18 minutes ago If the Rose Bowl is a church, then Joel Klatt is a preacher. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025

The preacher, in his uneven suspenders, clutches a book and appears to be in conversation. —April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Nov. 2024

Their decision to kiss in front of the preachers was not just an act of defiance, but a message to the world. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

preacher

noun

preach·​er

ˈprē-chər

: one that preaches

especially : minister entry 1 sense 1b