preach

6 definitions • 8 examples

(especially of a priest or minister in a church) to give a religious speech:

Father Martin preached to the assembled mourners.

During the sermon, he preached about the need for forgiveness.

to try to persuade other people to believe in a particular belief or follow a particular way of life:

They preach the abolition of established systems but propose nothing to replace them.

to give unwanted advice, especially about moral matters, in a boring way:

He's such a pain - he's always preaching about the virtues of working hard and getting up early.

My mother's always preaching at/to me about keeping my room tidy.

to give a religious speech:

[ T ] The minister preached a sermon on the need for forgiveness.

to try to persuade other people to do or accept something:

[ T ] Should Liddy be allowed to preach hatred?

To preach is also to try to persuade other people to have particular beliefs or behave in particular ways:

[ I ] My mother’s always preaching at me about studying harder.