preach
verb /priːtʃ/
/priːtʃ/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they preach | /priːtʃ/ /priːtʃ/ |
| he / she / it preaches | /ˈpriːtʃɪz/ /ˈpriːtʃɪz/ |
| past simple preached | /priːtʃt/ /priːtʃt/ |
| past participle preached | /priːtʃt/ /priːtʃt/ |
| -ing form preaching | /ˈpriːtʃɪŋ/ /ˈpriːtʃɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to give a religious talk in a public place, especially in a church during a service
- She preached to the congregation about forgiveness.
- preach something The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.
- [transitive, intransitive] to tell people about a particular religion, way of life, system, etc. in order to persuade them to accept it
- preach something to preach the word of God
- He preached the virtues of capitalism to us.
- preach (about something) She preached about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Collocations ReligionReligionBeing religious- believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
- be/become a believer/an atheist/an agnostic/a Christian/Muslim/Hindu/Buddhist, etc.
- convert to/practise a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
- go to church/(North American English) temple (= the synagogue)
- go to the local church/mosque/synagogue/gurdwara
- belong to a church/a religious community
- join/enter the church/a convent/a monastery/a religious sect/the clergy/the priesthood
- praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
- attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
- perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a mitzvah
- carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite
- go on/make a pilgrimage
- celebrate Christmas/Easter/Eid/Ramadan/Hanukkah/Passover/Diwali
- observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
- deliver/preach/hear a sermon
- lead/address the congregation
- say/recite a prayer/blessing
- preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam
- study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
- read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the gospel/the Torah
- be based on/derive from divine revelation
- commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
- seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
- strengthen/lose your faith
- keep/practise/practice/abandon the faith
- save/purify/lose your soul
- obey/follow/keep/break/violate a commandment/Islamic law/Jewish law
- be/accept/do God’s will
- receive/experience divine grace
- achieve/attain enlightenment/salvation/nirvana
- undergo a conversion/rebirth/reincarnation
- hear/answer a prayer
- commit/confess/forgive a sin
- do/perform penance
Extra Examples- He preached against the evils of drink.
- He preached on the need to tackle social problems.
- preaching about freedom and democracy
- [intransitive] (disapproving) to give somebody advice on moral standards, behaviour, etc., especially in a way that they find annoying or boring
- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to preach.
- preach at somebody You're preaching at me again!
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French prechier, from Latin praedicare ‘proclaim’, in ecclesiastical Latin ‘preach’, from prae ‘before’ + dicare ‘declare’.
Idioms
practise what you preach
- to do the things yourself that you tell other people to do
preach to the converted
(also preach to the choir especially in North American English)
- to speak to people in support of views that they already hold
- I realize I may be preaching to the choir, but I think he's gorgeous.