/ priːtʃ; NAmE / verb
1.
to give a religious talk in a public place, especially in a church during a service :
[ v ]
She preached to the congregation about forgiveness.
[ vn ]
The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.
2.
to tell people about a particular religion, way of life, system, etc. in order to persuade them to accept it :
[ vn ]
to preach the word of God
He preached the virtues of capitalism to us.
[ v ]
She preached about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
3.
[ v ] ( disapproving ) to give sb 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.
You're preaching at me again!
•
IDIOMS
- preach to the converted
—more at practise
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French prechier , from Latin praedicare proclaim, in ecclesiastical Latin preach, from prae before + dicare declare.