preacher
noun
a person whose occupation or function it is to preach the gospel.
preacher
1
British
/ ˈpriːtʃə /
noun
-
a person who has the calling and function of preaching the Christian Gospel, esp a Protestant clergyman
-
a person who preaches
Preacher
2
British
/ ˈpriːtʃə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of preacher
1175–1225; Middle English precho ( u ) r < Old French prech ( e ) or, earlier preëch ( e ) or < Late Latin praedicātor. See preach, -or 2
Explanation
A preacher is a Christian religious leader. On Sundays, preachers deliver sermons in churches. While it's possible to preach, or proclaim publicly, about non-religious topics, you're most likely to find the word preacher describing an evangelist Christian minister or pastor. There are also informal street preachers who preach the gospel to people who walk by. Preacher comes from the Latin word praedicatorem, "public praiser," or "proclaimer."
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:
His sentencing will conclude a dramatic and protracted downfall for a preacher who at one point been preparing to take NOS global with expansion to the US.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is a former lay preacher in the Methodist church, while Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape is the devout son of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“The biggest issues we have with soccer in this country is fields and we have issues with costs,” he says with the fervor of a Baptist preacher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Also addressing the May 17 gathering was the Rev. Franklin Graham, a leading evangelical preacher and the president of Samaritan’s Purse.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2026
There is a one-room Presbyterian Church, built of native stone, to which a preacher comes every three weeks when the road is passable.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Insider info: Miles Caton sung alongside the musician H.E.R. before being cast as blues prodigy Preacher Boy, but he had to learn to master the guitar for the role.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Sammie, who adopts the stage name of Preacher Boy, is set on joining that pantheon, which Stack invites him to do by performing at Club Juke.
From Salon ● May 2, 2025
This new revival departs from his plan of dividing Oedipus into two roles, Preacher Oedipus and Blind Oedipus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
In addition to the blocking, the scene comes together through a combination of performance, lighting and song selection, with the Dusty Springfield hit “Son of a Preacher Man” helping to further elevate it.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
Organ music drifted upstairs—which meant that Mrs. Powell, Preacher Powell’s wife, had arrived.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
In the halcyon days of the televangelists, when Jim Bakker stood shoulder to shoulder with fire and brimstone preachers such as Jerry Farwell, Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggart, the collection plate always seemed bottomless.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
But when Swaggart caught wind of the tryst, he saw an opportunity to topple his rival and took the matter to the Assemblies of God, the church fellowship both preachers belonged to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The two preachers have previously been detained by authorities, the most recent being in January, when they were summoned by police for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Muslims ruled large parts of India from the early 13th to the 19th century, and during this era Muslim preachers and Sufi mystics actively proselytized for Islam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
At other times, he’d hear late-night preachers, often of a fundamentalist bent, giving sermons and talks, usually about the meaning and interpretation of the Bible.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
