preach

American  

[preech] / pritʃ /

verb (used with object)

• preaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preached,
  past participle,  past
• preaching
  present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

• preaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preached,
  past participle,  past
• preaching
  present participle

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.

idioms

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

preach British  

/ 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

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preach More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing preach

• practice what you preach

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outpreach
  verb (used with object)
• preachable
  adjective
• unpreached
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• preaching
  present
• preached
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• preach
  simple
• preaches
  simple
• have preached
  perfect
• has preached
  perfect
• am preaching
  progressive
• are preaching
  progressive
• is preaching
  progressive
• have been preaching
  perfect progressive
• has been preaching
  perfect progressive

Past

• preached
  simple
• had preached
  perfect
• was preaching
  progressive
• were preaching
  progressive
• had been preaching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will preach
  simple
• will have preached
  perfect
• will be preaching
  progressive
• will have been preaching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of preach

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

Explanation

To preach is to deliver a sermon or an otherwise powerful message. You may go to church to hear the minister preach, and you may preach tolerance to your friends. Have you ever heard anyone say, "That's preaching to the choir"? That means you're wasting your words on somebody who already believes what you believe. If you're giving an impassioned speech about recycling to an audience dressed in reclaimed clothing and sandals made of old tires, you're likely to be preaching to the choir. The word preach comes from the Latin prae, "before," and dicare, "declare." When you preach, you're not just talking — you're declaring something with conviction.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preach preaches preached preaching

"The government should allow us to preach on the buses and alight when it is exiting Accra," he adds.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Pastors and faith leaders can preach on any moral or social issue, including justice, poverty, immigration, war.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

And yes, I practice what I preach and own an energy-stock fund in my own retirement accounts, though none of those mentioned.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

"We want to be a place where there's a mixing of lots of perspectives, and this is us practicing what we preach -- a cosmologist working closely with a condensed matter theorist."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

One day, we will grow up to preach God's word, take it out into the world and maybe we'll save some people.

From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson

He preaches selfishness instead of selflessness, avarice instead of charity and going after the least of us instead of raising them up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

In closed-door sessions each quarter, JetZero’s team preaches to specialists from those airlines about specific elements of the aircraft, such as cabin layout, flight controls and cargo doors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

On Tuesday night, Lahmeyer, a 34-year-old who preaches in suits, announced that he was running to represent Tulsa’s solidly red district, which is currently held by Rep. Kevin Hern.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2026

But experts who work with children say that there is a long way to go before the system can properly implement the ideals the law preaches.

From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026

In a country that preaches the virtues of democracy, one could reasonably assume that being stripped of basic political rights would be treated by judges and court personnel as a serious matter indeed.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

De Zerbi preached patience and he is right - 10 senior arrivals means his team is still to find an identity.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Proof, if any were needed, that people prefer to be entertained rather than preached to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Abdel-Rahman lived and preached in New Jersey before he was convicted in 1995 of seditious conspiracy in relation to the first bombing of the World Trade Center.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

Civic engagement was not something they preached, it was how they lived.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

If I preached unity, I must act like a unifier, even at the risk of perhaps alienating some of my own colleagues.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

On long-distance buses, pastors can often be seen - and heard - preaching the gospel.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

For Boateng, preaching is not only a religious calling but also an important source of income.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Some people in the community who had been preaching the risks of losing control of AI felt vindicated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Much of my life is dedicated to preaching that art, and practicing reverence for it can be the glue that keeps us together when the world wants us torn apart.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026

He was even too lazy and self-satisfied to go anywhere, except to preaching over at Hebron or to Cold Sassy to sell his cotton.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• exhort
• teach