preach

[ preech ]

/ pritʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preach ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to proclaim or make known by sermon (the gospel, good tidings, etc.).

to deliver (a sermon).

to advocate or inculcate (religious or moral truth, right conduct, etc.) in speech or writing.

verb (used without object)

to deliver a sermon.

to give earnest advice, as on religious or moral subjects or the like.

to do this in an obtrusive or tedious way.

Nearby words

pre-law, pre-raphaelite, pre-roman, pre-socratic, pre-u, preach, preach to the converted, preacher, preacher curl, preachify, preaching

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

SYNONYMS FOR preach

5 advocate, profess, pronounce, expound.

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Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for preach

At Christianity Today, Peter Chin claims Christians should preach peace instead of bogging down in the particulars of race.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters|James Poulos|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Priests often preach support for the regime to their congregations, many of whom loudly dissent.
In One Corner of Syria, Christmas Spirit Somehow Manages to Survive|Peter Schwartzstein|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sex and the City fans were right behind her, ready to preach.
Confessions of a Rom-Com Writer: Liz Tuccillo Talks ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Take Care,’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We should partner with them to get the message across, have them at the table, and listen rather than preach.
The New Face of HIV Is Gay & Young|Adebisi Alimi|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Each step of the way, Booker has thrived on the philosophy that your actions matter more than what you preach.
Talking Tofurky With Newly Vegan Cory Booker|Vlad Chituc|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I shall preach Christ; and can I preach on any subject so important?
The Sheepfold and the Common, Vol. I (of 2)|Timothy East
A few months later the Quarterly followed in the same strain, but went on to preach a more questionable doctrine.
Crabbe, (George)|Alfred Ainger
"I was surprised to hear Father Forbes say that he did not preach," he remarked.
The Damnation of Theron Ware|Harold Frederic
But the Senate, alarmed at the tenor of his discourses, forbade him to preach.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 383, September 1847|Various
The next day, being Sunday, we all gathered in the little church to hear Mr. Mason preach.
The Crossing|Winston Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for preach

preach

/ (priːtʃ) /

verb

to make known (religious truth) or give religious or moral instruction or exhortation in (sermons)

to advocate (a virtue, action, etc), esp in a moralizing way

Derived Forms

preachable, adjective

Word Origin for preach

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with preach

preach

In addition to the idiom beginning with preach

preach to the converted

also see:

practice what you preach