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preach to the choir

American  
[preech tuh thuh kwahyuhr] / ˈpritʃ tə ðə ˈkwaɪər /

idiom

  1. to express an observation or viewpoint to those who already share the same observation or viewpoint.

    If you’re saying that juggling a career and parenthood is tough, you’re preaching to the choir—I’m a single working mom with two preschoolers.


Etymology

Origin of preach to the choir

First recorded in 1965–70

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:

Pratt needed to proselytize — not preach to the choir.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 10, 2026

And so we’re really looking at this 20- to 45-year-old range of people who, yes, there are the Black people… You preach to the choir, so that you can get that refrain.

From Slate Jan. 4, 2022

How can your film, which exposes these facts, work to change minds, rather than just preach to the choir?

From Salon Aug. 18, 2021

They all preach to the choir while the people who need to be reached remain outside the church of the Enlightenment.

From New York Times Jul. 9, 2021

But most of them preach to the choir, writes Charles Bramesco.

From The Guardian Oct. 22, 2020

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