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:
It neatly sums up the endgame in which we find ourselves — and his vanquishing of the preacher Eli speaks to what we worship in the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
The former seminarian, whose grandfather was a Baptist preacher, "has the right, wonderful principles and all of the plans to put into effect that will make the country great again," she said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
The preacher, they said, had been curing the ill through prayer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Jobs may have been a leading preacher of Silicon Valley’s gospel of failure as a steppingstone to success, but his own self-indulgence nearly turned NeXT into a trek to nowhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
The preacher swabbed his red face with a handkerchief.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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
It could be Preacher, who has a religious bent; or Bigger, the raw but hyperobservant new recruit; or the war-weary Silk, who already has a Purple Heart; or the aggressive Crazy Horse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
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
But sure as shooting, this was the other person the Preacher said we were gonna have to go see.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
The speakers’ lineup in Tulsa will reportedly include Flynn, Clark, Eric Trump, Jackson Lahmeyer and his wife Kendra, and a veritable apostolic Lollapalooza of NAR-friendly preachers.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
He also watched social media videos of street preachers.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
He spoke of his religiosity — his grandfather and great-grandfather were Baptist preachers — and talked at length about the optimism, a political rarity these days, that undergirds his vision for the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2026
This included new powers to target extremist preachers and to refuse or cancel visas for those who spread "hate and division".
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
What she wasn’t may have been just as important to Montgomery’s black leadership, the preachers and teachers and ASC women and E. D. Nixon.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
