preach

preach — verb

1. to speak to people at a worship service about God, faith, or how to live.

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to speak to people at a worship service about God, faith, or how to live.

Example

Pastor Kim preached on forgiveness at the Sunday service in Taipei.

preach on + topic

Hundreds gathered outside the tent while Sister Maria preached to them.

preach to + audience

Common collocations
  • preach on forgiveness
  • preach to the crowd
  • preach in church
  • preach hope
  • preach about faith
Synonyms
  • sermonize

    close in religious meaning, but often sounds old-fashioned or slightly critical.

  • proclaim

    broader and more public; not limited to church speaking.

  • speak

    much more general and does not by itself imply a religious message.

Grammar Patterns

preach on/about + topic

preach + noun + to + audience

Usage Note

Often used without an object when the religious talk itself is the focus. If there is a direct object, it is usually the message, while the listeners come after 'to'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about pushing an idea or lifestyle more generally.

Common Mistakes

Father Ruiz preached the church on Easter morning.
Father Ruiz preached in church on Easter morning.' / 'Father Ruiz preached to the church on Easter morning.
use 'in' for the place and 'to' for the listeners.
The nun preached the children kindness.
The nun preached kindness to the children.
when both message and audience are named, the audience follows 'to'.

2. to speak strongly for an idea or way of living because you want others to accept

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to speak strongly for an idea or way of living because you want others to accept it.

Example

The group travels from school to school preaching road safety.

preach + idea/value

On his radio show, Malik preached patience during the election week.

Common collocations
  • preach peace
  • preach equality
  • preach simple living
  • preach nonviolence
  • preach to voters
Synonyms
  • advocate

    more neutral and common in formal discussion or policy writing.

  • promote

    often suggests active publicity, campaigns, or organized support.

  • evangelize

    stronger and more conversion-focused, especially in religion or tech culture.

Antonyms
  • oppose

    to argue against the idea instead of urging people to accept it.

  • condemn

    to attack the belief or behavior rather than support it.

Grammar Patterns

preach + idea/value

preach + idea/value + to + audience

Usage Note

The direct object is usually the belief, value, or lifestyle itself, not the people listening. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is not limited to worship settings, and from sense 3: the tone is often earnest rather than irritating.

Common Mistakes

The campaign preached people to recycle.
The campaign preached recycling to local families.
make the idea the direct object, not the listeners.
Our teacher preached us healthy eating.
Our teacher preached healthy eating to us.
put the audience after 'to'.

3. to talk at people for too long about what is right or proper, so they become imp

3.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to talk at people for too long about what is right or proper, so they become impatient.

Example

Dad kept preaching about table manners through the whole meal.

preach about + behavior

Nobody likes it when the coach preaches at tired players.

preach at + person

Common collocations
  • preach at people
  • preach about right and wrong
  • keep preaching
  • stop preaching
  • preach to the children
Synonyms
  • lecture

    common everyday word for scolding or speaking at length in a superior way.

  • moralize

    focuses on talking about right and wrong, often pompously.

  • nag

    more repetitive and less formal; often about small daily habits.

Grammar Patterns

preach at/to + person

preach about + behavior

Usage Note

Almost always carries criticism from the speaker or listener. It is commonly followed by 'at' or 'to' before the person receiving the advice, unlike sense 2, where the speaker is earnestly supporting an idea.

Common Mistakes

My aunt preached me about my clothes.
My aunt preached to me about my clothes.
use 'to' before the person receiving the advice.
The manager preached honesty at the staff all day.
The manager preached at the staff about honesty all day.
this sense usually needs 'at' or 'to' plus the people.
Idioms

practise what you preach

idiom

To behave in a way that matches the advice you give to others.

Maya always tells her friends to recycle, and she practises what she preaches.

If you want your children to be honest, you must practise what you preach.

preach to the converted

idiom

To try to persuade people who already agree with your opinion.

I know I'm preaching to the converted, but we must reduce plastic waste.

Explaining the benefits of exercise to athletes is preaching to the converted.

Word family

  • preacher
    nounB2
  • preaching
    nounC1
  • preachy
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

For sense 2, 'preach' is stronger and more value-loaded than several nearby words. If you preach an idea, you push it with conviction and often with a moral tone, as if others ought to accept it. 'Advocate' is calmer and more neutral, so a doctor can advocate exercise without sounding forceful. 'Promote' often suggests organized publicity, campaigns, or active support by a group or institution. 'Proclaim' means announce openly, but it does not always imply trying to win followers. 'Evangelize' is the closest in intensity because it often suggests converting people, especially in religion or tech culture. Compare: 'The teacher preached honesty to the class' sounds forceful; 'The teacher advocated honesty' sounds measured; 'The charity promoted honest business practices' sounds institutional.

preach ↗advocate ↗promote ↗proclaim ↗evangelize

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • preach to an audience
  • preach about how to live

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Preach' came into English through Old French from Latin 'praedicare', a verb meaning to say something openly or in public. It first referred mainly to speaking about religion to a group of listeners. Later, English widened the word so it could also mean urging people to accept an idea or lifestyle, and then criticizing someone for giving long moral advice. That history helps explain why the word still has both a church sense and a more everyday, often negative, sense.