plural preachers
Synonyms of preachernext
: one who preaches: such as
a
: a person who delivers a sermon publicly
a street preacher
b
: one whose function is to preach sermons : pastor, minister
She waited patiently on a Sunday morning until the crowd had said good-by to the preacher.—Don Jeffries
"What kind of preacher are you? What denomination?" "I was ordained in a Baptist church, but I'm sort of nondenominational now."—John Grisham
c
: one who inculcates or exhorts something earnestly or officiously
… he was an ardent preacher of gentlemanly ethics …—Paul Schullery
… he was perceived by the larger world, not inaccurately, as a preacher of the hatred.—Nicholas Lemann

Examples of preacher in a Sentence

the marriage will be performed by our usual preacher
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But DeFalco is drawn to the sidewalk dwellers, street preachers and parking-lot boozers who also lurk down there and help (or hinder) Ten, usually at a loud volume. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Hollander plays Judge Jack Taylor, an authoritative man who weighs his words carefully, possessing both the warmth and charm of a country preacher and the cold edge of a cult leader. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026 The preacher was arrested in 2023 after police received a tip-off, and weeks later authorities began uncovering bodies in shallow graves in the Shakahola Forest near the coast in southeastern Kenya. — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 In the background of a gut-wrenching new album from Teller Bank$, there’s a preacher who sees himself in the biblical parable of Noah’s ark. — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for preacher

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preacher was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preacher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preacher. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

preacher

noun
preach·​er
ˈprē-chər
: one that preaches
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