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preach

Pronunciation: /priːtʃ/

Translate preach | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of preach

verb

[no object]
  • deliver a sermon or religious address to an assembled group of people, typically in church:he preached to a large congregation [with object]:our pastor will preach the sermon (as noun preaching)large numbers of people would come to hear his preaching
  • [with object] publicly proclaim or teach (a religious message or belief):he preached the word of God
  • [with object] earnestly advocate (a belief or course of action):my parents have always preached toleration and moderation
  • give moral advice to someone in a pompously self-righteous way:viewers want to be entertained, not preached at

Phrases

preach to the converted

advocate something to people who already share one’s convictions about its merits or importance.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French prechier, from Latin praedicare 'proclaim', in ecclesiastical Latin 'preach', from prae 'before' + dicare 'declare'

preach in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of preach in the US English dictionary

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