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.
Everyone who was anyone among evangelicals – preacher Billy Graham, gospel singer Pat Boone, fellow televangelist Oral Roberts – appeared on the show. — John Wigger, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026 Kirk Whalum was another preacher’s son; a soul-pop sax player from Memphis who, like everyone else, approached his playing as a creative and spiritual mission. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 One of the teens, Eden, is the daughter of a hellfire-and-brimstone preacher and is having a secret love affair. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 The film chronicled Gortner’s youth as a Pentecostal preacher in the American South and exposed the deceptive practices used to bilk believers out of their money. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 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 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

preacher

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