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preach

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verb British English pronunciation: preach /priːtʃ/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theypreach
he/she/itpreaches
present participlepreaching
past tensepreached
past participlepreached

Related dictionary definitions

  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to talk about a religious subject at a religious meeting, especially in church
    preach a sermon:

    The Reverend Hugh McKeag preached the sermon.

    preach to:

    That afternoon he preached to three thousand people.

    preach about/against:

    People flocked to hear him preach about Jesus.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  preachThesaurus entry for this meaning of preach
  2. 2
    [intransitive] showing disapproval to give people advice, or to tell them how to behave, in a way that annoys them

    I don’t mean to preach, but I think it’s time to get serious about your relationship.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  preachThesaurus entry for this meaning of preach
  3. 3
    [transitive] to express a strong opinion and try to persuade other people to accept it

    Both my parents have always preached tolerance and moderation.

    preach the values/virtues/evils of something:

    He preaches the virtues of hard work.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  preachThesaurus entry for this meaning of preach
See also

This is the British English definition of preach. View American English definition of preach.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

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