preach
Americanverb (used with object)
-
preaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preached,
past participle, past
-
preaching
present participle
-
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)
-
preaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preached,
past participle, past
-
preaching
present participle
idioms
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
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
-
am preachingprogressive
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are preachingprogressive
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is preachingprogressive
-
have been preachingperfect progressive
-
has been preachingperfect progressive
Past
-
preachedsimple
-
had preachedperfect
-
was preachingprogressive
-
were preachingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
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
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
He told the pastor at his church, Rose of Sharon Missionary Baptist, about the dream and how he was convinced that it had been a calling to preach and become part of God’s ministry.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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
Smith-Njigba said Kupp’s greatest influence was the “process over results” Kupp preaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 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
The doc’s a short man, round belly, don’t seem to practice what he preaches about eating right, but he’s got a kind heart, and he lays out some newspapers on his kitchen table.
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
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
After they blew a distraction-filled, first-round series against Minnesota last season, coach JJ Redick has long preached to them about ignoring the noise and creating a singular playoff mentality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
He preached against the “delusion of omnipotence,” and called for an end to “idolatry of self and money” and “enough of war.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
His father was head deacon in this church—there were only two, the other a round, black man named Deacon Braithwaite—and he took up the collection, and sometimes he preached.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
“Now, I’ve got to show them what I’ve been preaching to them since they were born.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
This is where we find Lestat in Season 3, preaching the gospel that this is his time.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
But it turns out that for many Americans, preaching the gospel of ranch isn’t a job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
He enrolled in seminary and began preaching within China’s official church system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
He could pretty much forget about preaching love and forgiveness around me after that.
From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes
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.
