preach
verb (used with object)
to proclaim or make known by sermon (the gospel, good tidings, etc.).
had preached
-
past perfectof preach.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Then 73, he had preached the gospel before an estimated 215 million people in “crusades” that spanned from New York’s Madison Square Garden to Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
Ms Fraser says that Warwick, a Church of Scotland minister who had preached to King Charles, had befriended Hugh, Roddy and David years earlier.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2025
All month, Riley and his staff had preached finishing strong, preparing for the bowl much in the same way the Trojans would any other game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2023
All season they had preached the importance of living up the “Alabama standard.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2022
If anybody wanted to know what the neighborhood looked like in the twenties, where Jack Johnson had lived, perhaps, or where James Baldwin’s father had preached, Mother Fletcher could tell you.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
