preach

[ preech ]

verb (used with object)

1. to proclaim or make known by sermon (the gospel, good tidings, etc.).
2. to deliver (a sermon).
3. to advocate or inculcate (religious or moral truth, right conduct, etc.) in speech or writing.

verb (used without object)

1. to deliver a sermon.
2. to give earnest advice, as on religious or moral subjects or the like.

   Synonyms: expound, pronounce, profess, advocate

3. to give earnest advice in an obtrusive or tedious way.

preach

/ priːtʃ /

verb

1. to make known (religious truth) or give religious or moral instruction or exhortation in (sermons)
2. to advocate (a virtue, action, etc), esp in a moralizing way

Derived Forms

• ˈpreachable, adjective

Other Words From

• out·preach verb (used with object)
• un·preached adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of preach¹

1175–1225; Middle English prechen < Old French pre ( ë ) chier < Late Latin praedicāre to preach ( Latin: to assert publicly, proclaim). See predicate

Word History and Origins

Origin of preach¹

C13: from Old French prechier, from Church Latin praedicāre, from Latin: to proclaim in public; see predicate

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. preach to the choir. preach to the choir.

More idioms and phrases containing preach

In addition to the idiom beginning with preach , also see practice what you preach .

Example Sentences

Mysterious forces seek to quiet the talking animals of Oz, who preach freedom and unity.

From Salon

Days before the election, McCoy had preached that if Trump lost “life is going to take on catastrophic conditions” because of the evil espoused by the left.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead of questioning everything, it preaches the virtue of believing in nothing but the confident voices of those who validate their anxieties without offering honest reasons or answers as to why they exist.

From Salon

I devour a lot of self-help and self-improvement books, and many preach about the dangers of what happens when you give up.

From Los Angeles Times

They twist themselves into theological knots teaching and preaching that it's OK to be both a millionaire and a minister to the gospel of Christ.

From Salon

Related Words

• admonish
• exhort