preach
verb
Simple meaning
To proclaim by public discourse.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
preechIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹitʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To proclaim by public discourse; to utter in a sermon or a formal religious harangue.
intransitive
To give a sermon.
Deliver a sermon
“The minister is not preaching this Sunday.”
transitive
To advise or recommend earnestly.
intransitive
To give advice in an offensive or obtrusive manner.
transitive
To teach or instruct by preaching; to inform by preaching.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To proclaim by public discourse; to utter in a sermon or a formal religious harangue.
Used this way, preach is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a religious use: it carries the weight of tradition and ceremony.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Religion/spirituality
- Historical writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use preach
- “The minister is not preaching this Sunday.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
An address of a religious nature (usually delivered during a church service).
Someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel.
A Roman Catholic friar wearing the black mantle of the Dominican order.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- pastornoun
- sermonnoun
- preachingnoun
- ordinationnoun
- congregationnoun
- presbyteriannoun
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “preach” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.