preached; preaching; preaches
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
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 debt—
Amer. Guide Series: Va.
Amer. Guide Series: Va.
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
Johnson and others believed that dictionaries could record, and not merely dictate, the expressions of a people, in a version of what Savigny, the Grimms’ old professor at Marburg, had preached about the law.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Juventus take on Udinese test Up next for Juve is a trip east to take on Udinese, with Motta preaching a back-to-basics message.
—Adam Digby, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Combs was like many Black entrepreneurs who frame their material success as revolutionary while preaching about Black excellence.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
But the devout young Lewis, who famously preached to the chickens on his family’s land, was hungry to become educated and to involve himself in the civil rights struggle.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for preach 
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.
Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Juventus take on Udinese test Up next for Juve is a trip east to take on Udinese, with Motta preaching a back-to-basics message.
—Adam Digby, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Combs was like many Black entrepreneurs who frame their material success as revolutionary while preaching about Black excellence.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
But the devout young Lewis, who famously preached to the chickens on his family’s land, was hungry to become educated and to involve himself in the civil rights struggle.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for preach
Dictionary Entries Near preach
Cite this Entry
“Preach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preach. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share