deliver a religious address to an assembled group of people, typically in church, advocate or recommend (a course of action), give moral advice to someone in a self-righteous or tedious way

preach to the choir, practice what you preach, preach from the same hymn sheet

Formal and Informal Expressions of preach

In different contexts, you can replace 'preach' with suitable alternatives. In a more formal setting, 'advocate, promote' is apt. In informal speech or writing, 'push, urge' is a commonplace synonym.

preach: Explore its Definition & Usage

preach Definition

1deliver a religious address to an assembled group of people, typically in church
2advocate or recommend (a course of action)
3give moral advice to someone in a self-righteous or tedious way

Using preach: Examples

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "preach" can be used in various situations through the following examples!

Example
The priest preached a sermon on forgiveness.
Example
He always preaches the importance of hard work.
Example
Don't preach to me about healthy eating when you're eating junk food yourself.
Example
She's always preaching about the benefits of meditation.

preach Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms for preach

Antonyms for preach

Phrases with preach

preach to the choir
to try to convince someone of something that they already believe
Example
I don't need to be preached to about the importance of recycling - I've been doing it for years. You're preaching to the choir.
practice what you preach
to do the things that you advise other people to do
Example
You should practice what you preach and start exercising regularly if you want to be healthier.
preach from the same hymn sheet
to express the same opinions and ideas as someone else in a group, especially in public
Example
We need to make sure that everyone in the company is preaching from the same hymn sheet when it comes to our new marketing strategy.

Origins of preach

from Old English 'prēc(e)an', meaning 'proclaim, make known'

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Summary: preach in Brief

To 'preach' [priːtʃ] is to deliver a religious address, advocate or recommend a course of action, or give moral advice in a self-righteous or tedious way. It can be used in religious or secular contexts, as in 'The priest preached a sermon on forgiveness' or 'He always preaches the importance of hard work.' The phrase 'preach to the choir' means to try to convince someone of something they already believe, while 'practice what you preach' means to do what you advise others to do.