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Definition of 'preach'

Word Frequency

preach

(priːtʃ )
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense preaches , present participle preaching , past tense, past participle preached
1. verb
When a member of the clergy preaches a sermon, he or she gives a talk on a religious or moral subject during a religious service.
At High Mass the priest preached a sermon on the devil. [VERB noun]
The bishop preached to a crowd of several hundred local people. [VERB + to]
He denounced the decision to invite his fellow archbishop to preach. [VERB]
[Also V + against/on]
Synonyms: deliver a sermon, address, exhort, evangelize   More Synonyms of preach
2. verb
When people preach a belief or a course of action, they try to persuade other people to accept the belief or to take the course of action.
He tried to preach peace and tolerance to his people. [VERB noun]
Health experts are now preaching that even a little exercise is far better than none at all. [VERB that]
For many years I have preached against war. [V + against/about]
3. verb
If someone gives you advice in a very serious, boring way, you can say that they are preaching at you.
[disapproval]
'Don't preach at me,' he shouted. [VERB + at]
4. 
to practise what you preach
5. 
to preach to the converted
More Synonyms of preach
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Video: pronunciation of 'preach'

Word Frequency

preach in British

(priːtʃ )
verb
1. 
to make known (religious truth) or give religious or moral instruction or exhortation in (sermons)
2. 
to advocate (a virtue, action, etc), esp in a moralizing way
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
preachable (ˈpreachable)
  adjective
Word origin of 'preach'
C13: from Old French prechier, from Church Latin praedicāre, from Latin: to proclaim in public; see predicate
Word Frequency

preach in American

(pritʃ ; prēch)
verb intransitive
1. 
to speak in public on religious matters; give a sermon
2. 
to give moral or religious advice, esp. in a tiresome manner
verb transitive
3. 
to expound or proclaim by preaching
4. 
to advocate by or as by preaching; urge strongly or persistently
5. 
to deliver (a sermon)
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'preach'
ME prechen < OFr precher < LL(Ec) praedicare, to preach the gospel < L, to declare in public, admonish < prae-, pre- + dicare, to proclaim, akin to dicere, to say: see diction

Example sentences containing 'preach'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
There are too many people preaching about how you should do it. The Sun (2016) Now he is preaching in the desert. Times, Sunday Times (2011)We need to think this way about formative preaching as well. Christianity Today (2000)From its famous open pulpit in the old hospital churchyard many an inflammatory sermon had been preached. Benjamin Woolley THE HERBALIST: Nicholas Culpeper Rebel Physician (2004)This association between concealment and observance is now preached hard in many British mosques. Times, Sunday Times (2014)

Trends of 'preach'

In Common Usage. preach is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Translations for 'preach'

British English: preach VERB
When a member of the clergy preaches a sermon, he or she gives a talk on a religious or moral subject during a religious service.
At High Mass the priest preached a sermon on the devil.
  • American English: preach
  • Brazilian Portuguese: pregar
  • Chinese: 传道
  • European Spanish: predicar
  • French: prêcher
  • German: predigen
  • Italian: predicare
  • Japanese: 説教する
  • Korean: 설교하다
  • European Portuguese: pregar
  • Spanish: predicar

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Nearby words of 'preach'

  • pre-war
  • preabsorb
  • preaccuse
  • preach
  • preach to the choir
  • preacher
  • preacher curl

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'P'

Related Terms of 'preach'

  • preach to the choir
  • to preach to the choir
  • to practise what you preach
  • to preach to the converted

Source

Definition of preach from the Collins English Dictionary

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Scrabble score for 'preach': 13
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