preach
Americanverb (used with object)
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to proclaim or make known by sermon (the gospel, good tidings, etc.).
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to deliver (a sermon).
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to advocate or inculcate (religious or moral truth, right conduct, etc.) in speech or writing.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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to make known (religious truth) or give religious or moral instruction or exhortation in (sermons)
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to advocate (a virtue, action, etc), esp in a moralizing way
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preachsimple
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preachessimple
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have preachedperfect
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has preachedperfect
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am preachingprogressive
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are preachingprogressive
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is preachingprogressive
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have been preachingperfect progressive
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has been preachingperfect progressive
Past
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preachedsimple
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had preachedperfect
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was preachingprogressive
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were preachingprogressive
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had been preachingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing preach
Tears of a Tiger
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"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." and "I Have a Dream"
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Homesick
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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.
Two women dressed in green and pink fur cradle each other’s heads, reimagining medieval depictions of cephalophores — Christian martyrs who carry their severed heads while continuing to preach or pray.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 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
Brainerd, who died from tuberculosis at 29, resolved to live among the Native Americans and to preach and demonstrate a pious Christian life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
While I'm always happy to talk about being sober, it's also important not to preach.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Kindness, humility, piety, respect for other human creatures—these are the great desiderata of all who pursue virtuous action, and it matters not whether those who preach them heed their own advice.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
