preach
gb/pɹˈit͡ʃ/ us/pɹˈit͡ʃ/
B1
Inglês
~ 5100
Aceções
0 aceções
Verbo
B1
action
1
give a religious sermon
To speak in church or a similar place and give a religious talk to people.
Padrão de uso:
to preach [a sermon/message] to [people]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse "preach" with "pray". "Preach" means to speak to others about religion; "pray" means to talk to God or a god. Also, "preach" usually needs an object or audience (preach a sermon; preach to the church), not just "He preached" without context in formal writing.
Sinónimos
sermonize (More formal and often slightly negative, but can also mean to give a sermon in a religious setting.)
Antónimos
worship (Describes the act of praying or honoring a deity rather than delivering a religious message to others.)
Colocações
preach a sermon
|preach the gospel
|preach in church
|preach from the pulpit
|preach to the congregation
|preach the word
Temas
religion
|communication
|public_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- The pastor will preach a special sermon on forgiveness this Sunday.
- She was invited to preach at the cathedral during the Easter service.
- In many small towns, the same priest has preached to several generations of families.
- They asked him to preach the funeral service for their father.
- Missionaries traveled to remote villages to preach the gospel.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The priest preaches every Sunday morning.
- Many people came to the church to hear her preach.
- He preached a short sermon about hope.
- The old man often preached in the small village church.
- A young woman preached to the group about faith.
Verbo
B2
action
2
strongly promote an idea
To talk again and again saying that an idea or way of living is very important and good.
Padrão de uso:
to preach [idea/value] to [someone]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use "preach" for any kind of speaking or teaching. "Preach" in this sense is used when someone strongly and repeatedly promotes a value or idea, often moral or social, not just when they give normal information or instructions.
Sinónimos
advocate (More formal and neutral; focuses on supporting an idea, while "preach" suggests repeated or strongly emotional talking.)
Antónimos
discourage (To try to stop people from accepting or doing an idea, which is the opposite of strongly promoting it.)
Colocações
preach tolerance
|preach peace
|preach equality
|preach non-violence
|preach moderation
|preach change
Temas
communication
|society
|values
|education
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- She always preaches tolerance and respect in her classroom.
- The campaign group has been preaching the benefits of a plant-based diet.
- For years he preached non-violence to anyone who would listen.
- The author preaches personal responsibility throughout the book.
- Environmental activists preach the importance of reducing waste.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- My parents often preach hard work and honesty.
- The teacher preached safety when we used the machines.
- He likes to preach healthy eating to his friends.
- The group preached peace during the march.
- She preaches kindness to her children every day.
Verbo
informal
B2
action
3
lecture in a moralizing way
To speak to someone again and again, telling them how they should live, in a way that feels annoying or like you are better than them.
Padrão de uso:
to preach at [someone] about [something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes miss the negative or annoyed feeling in this use and translate it as simple "teach". Here, "preach" suggests the speaker is talking like they are morally better, and the listener may not want to hear it.
Sinónimos
lecture (In this sense, "lecture" also means to scold or talk down to someone morally; "preach" often sounds more self-righteous.)
Antónimos
listen (Instead of talking down to someone, you pay attention to their views, which is opposite in attitude.)
Colocações
preach at someone
|preach about morals
|preach about money
|preach about responsibility
|stop preaching
|preach all the time
Temas
behavior
|relationships
|communication
|daily_life
Exemplos
- Don’t preach at me about saving money; you spend more than I do.
- He tends to preach to his friends about how they should raise their kids.
- She’s always preaching about the evils of social media, but she’s on it all day.
- I’m not trying to preach, but you really need to slow down.
- They accused the politician of preaching instead of actually helping people.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- My dad preaches at me about my homework every night.
- Please don’t preach to me about my diet.
- He always preaches about how other people should live.
- She started to preach about social media and phones.
- I don’t want to preach, but you should get some rest.
interjection
informal
B2
action
4
informal shout of strong agreement
An informal word said to show you strongly agree with what another person just said.
Erro comum:
Learners may think this use of "preach" means to talk about religion. In slang, when used alone as "Preach!", it does not mean giving a sermon; it simply shows strong agreement with what someone else said.
Sinónimos
amen (Also shows strong agreement, often with a religious flavor or humorous exaggeration.)
Antónimos
no way (An informal way to strongly disagree, the opposite reaction to showing strong agreement.)
Temas
conversation
|slang
|emotions
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- “People need to stop glorifying overwork.” “Preach!”
- “Rent is too high for young people.” “Preach, I can barely afford my apartment.”
- “We all deserve more vacation time.” “Preach, sister.”
Exemplos para aprendentes
- “This bus is always late.” “Preach!”
- “We have too much homework.” “Preach, I am so tired.”
- “Good coffee is not cheap.” “Preach!”
- “People should be kinder online.” “Preach, that’s so true.”
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
preach
IPA
GB/pɹˈit͡ʃ/
US/pɹˈit͡ʃ/
Sílabas e acento
preach (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (preach)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: preach
- 3rd Person Singular: preaches
- Present Participle: preaching
- Past: preached
Família de palavras
Expressões
practice what you preach
1/pɹˈæktɪs wˈʌt jˈu pɹˈit͡ʃ/
idiom
do what you tell others to do
To do the things that you tell other people are right or important.
Exemplos
- If you tell your kids not to shout, you should practice what you preach.
- The manager talks about work–life balance but doesn’t practice what he preaches.
- Voters want leaders who practice what they preach.
practice what you preach
1/pɹˈæktɪs wˈʌt jˈu pɹˈit͡ʃ/
idiom
Do what you say others should
Do the same good things you tell others to do.
Exemplos
- If you want your team to be punctual, you need to practice what you preach.
- She tells everyone to be kind, but she doesn’t always practice what she preaches.
preach against
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ əɡˈɛnst/
phrasal verb
speak strongly against something
To speak strongly, again and again, saying that something is bad or wrong.
Exemplos
- The leader often preaches against corruption.
- They preach against violence in all their public talks.
preach at someone
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ ˈæt sˈʌmwˌʌn/
phrasal verb
informal
lecture someone in a moralizing way
To speak to someone in a bossy or annoying way, telling them how they should live.
Exemplos
- She’s always preaching at me about my diet.
- He hates it when people preach at him about his lifestyle.
preach forgiveness
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ fɚɡˈɪvnəs/
fixed phrase
strongly promote forgiveness
To speak many times about why people should forgive others.
Exemplos
- She preaches forgiveness even after great hurt.
- The pastor preached forgiveness after the conflict in the community.
preach peace
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ pˈis/
fixed phrase
strongly promote peace
To speak many times about why people should be peaceful and not violent.
Exemplos
- Community leaders preached peace after the protests.
- He travels the world preaching peace and understanding.
preach to the converted
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ tə ðə kənvˈɚtɪd/
idiom
argue to people who already agree
To try to convince people who already agree with your idea.
Exemplos
- You don’t need to convince me about animal rights; you’re preaching to the converted.
- When he spoke about the value of education at a teachers’ meeting, he was preaching to the converted.
preach the gospel
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ ðə ɡˈɔspəl/
fixed phrase
spread the Christian gospel
To teach people about the Christian message of Jesus, usually in a religious way.
Exemplos
- Missionaries traveled across the region to preach the gospel.
- The missionaries traveled across the country to preach the gospel in small towns.
- He felt called to leave his job and preach the gospel full-time.
- They use social media to preach the gospel to a younger audience.
preach to the choir
1/pɹˈit͡ʃ tə ðə kwˈaɪɚ/
idiom
informal
persuade people who already agree
To talk in order to change someone’s mind, when that person already agrees with you.
Exemplos
- Telling environmentalists that climate change is real is like preaching to the choir.
- If you’re telling me that climate change is real, you’re preaching to the choir.
- You don’t need to tell me recycling is important—you’re preaching to the choir.
- You don’t need to explain that to me—you’re preaching to the choir.
- Don’t bother explaining recycling to her; you’re preaching to the choir.
- When she warned us about exam stress, the teacher was preaching to the choir; we were already worried.
- He realized he was preaching to the choir and decided to end the speech early.
- If you complain about low pay to other workers, you’re just preaching to the choir.