evangelize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
evangelizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
evangelized,
past participle, past
-
evangelizing
present participle
-
to preach the gospel to.
-
to convert to Christianity.
verb (used without object)
-
evangelizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
evangelized,
past participle, past
-
evangelizing
present participle
verb
-
to preach the Christian gospel or a particular interpretation of it (to)
-
(intr) to advocate a cause with the object of making converts
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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evangelizesimple
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evangelizessimple
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have evangelizedperfect
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has evangelizedperfect
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am evangelizingprogressive
-
are evangelizingprogressive
-
is evangelizingprogressive
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have been evangelizingperfect progressive
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has been evangelizingperfect progressive
Past
-
evangelizedsimple
-
had evangelizedperfect
-
was evangelizingprogressive
-
were evangelizingprogressive
-
had been evangelizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of evangelize
1350–1400; Middle English evangelisen < Late Latin evangelizāre < Late Greek euangelízein. See evangel 1, -ize
Compare meaning
How does evangelize compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
To evangelize is to share religious beliefs, especially Christian ones, with other people. Preachers and ministers evangelize from the pulpit in their churches every Sunday. Certain Christians believe that it's important to evangelize to others — to preach the gospel and convey what they believe. In some cases, Christian missionaries travel to foreign countries to evangelize. The ultimate goal for those who evangelize tends to be converting non-Christians to Christianity. The word evangelize comes from the Church Latin evangelizare, "to spread or preach the Gospel," with the Greek root euangelizesthai, or "bring good news."
Vocabulary lists containing evangelize
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
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Paradise Lost
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sure, celebrities often partner with fast-food restaurants to release collaboration meal deals, but Cane’s A-listers also seem to evangelize the brand itself.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
One surefire way to endear yourself to your favorite eatery is to evangelize for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
Maybe I wouldn’t be so tempted to evangelize if it weren’t for Cruise and director Chris McQuarrie’s ability to so presciently understand what the “Mission: Impossible” franchise can be.
From Salon ● May 24, 2025
I’m here to evangelize for this essential intra-California trip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
The establishment of a colony of speculators, then, to evangelize Africa, does not discover much wisdom or promise much success; but, on the contrary, exhibits a total blindness of vision and a most unfavorable aspect.
From Thoughts on African Colonization by William Lloyd Garrison
His hand rests on his heart as he evangelizes her writing — a surprisingly tender moment of sentimentality from a comedian who has made a career out of stinging misanthropy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
When asked what she wants Seattle Times readers to know about her Walls of Books locations, Vaughn evangelizes about the neighborly art of bookselling.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
It derives its value from people actually using it, which is why Sun evangelizes Tron.
From The Verge ● Sep. 29, 2020
In breezy chapters complemented by charming illustrations, Weir evangelizes on the joys of quotidian pleasures such as warm feet, warm fires and, obviously, tea.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2020
But where Kanye’s devotion has always resembled the near-mystic inwardness and complexity of John’s Gospel, Chance is more like the apostles of Acts: he relentlessly, almost compulsively, evangelizes and invites.
From The New Yorker ● May 24, 2016
As technology improved, particularly AI that handles time-consuming administrative tasks like building spreadsheets or sorting important from low priority emails, Pacitti evangelized working in microshifts to his staff and promoted it in recruiting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Wilcox remembered when the Frank family first influenced his family: Billy Frank had evangelized to Wilcox’s father about farming with salmon in mind.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 17, 2024
Evans says what this has led to is a kind of simplistic spiritual utopianism evangelized by many leaders of the modern psychedelic renaissance.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2024
Dutch extreme athlete and wellness guru Wim Hof, known as “the Iceman,” evangelized the practice as key to his fitness method.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2023
But the unevangelized nations must be evangelized, and chiefly by their own people.
From History Of The Missions Of The American Board Of Commissioners For Foreign Missions To The Oriental Churches, Volume II. by Rufus Anderson
I hope Mr. Cook spends his Apple executive chairman time evangelizing the globalization that once was—and that worked!
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Not only was he America’s most famous art instructor, he was also our unofficial art therapist, evangelizing painting as a way to find solace in our imagination.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
She compares her numerous postscreening Q&As to an evangelizing mission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025
“It makes our job easy. Chuck’s out there evangelizing for us.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2022
To be an agent of God for evangelizing the world.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
