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.
Considering the fact that airline crew members typically travel alone, flight attendants are often the first ones to preach the importance of keeping your guard up at hotels. Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2025 Conley has preached the importance of selflessness, so Finch had zero reason for concern about Conley sulking or not taking the news the right way. Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025 The King was seen greeting Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, who preached the sermon at church that day, while the Queen carried a clear umbrella. Janine Henni, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025 Churches, of which there were many, preached to full pews on Sundays. Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near preach

Cite this Entry

“Preach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preach. Accessed 19 Jan. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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