To preach means to talk about God or religion in a church. A person who does this is called a preacher. You might hear a preacher speak on Sunday morning. It is a very old and important word in many languages.
When someone preaches, they give a talk to a group of people. Often, this is about being a good person. Sometimes, if a friend tells you what to do and you do not want to hear it, you can say, 'Stop preaching to me!'
The word preach has two sides. First, it is the formal act of delivering a sermon. Second, it is a common way to describe someone who acts like they know better than you. If someone is being judgmental about your lifestyle, you might feel like they are preaching to you. It is often used to express frustration in a relationship.
In a formal context, preach refers to the proclamation of religious doctrine. However, in casual English, it is often used as a verb of annoyance. When someone adopts a 'holier-than-thou' attitude, we say they are preaching. It is a powerful word to use when you want to signal that someone's advice is unsolicited and unwelcome.
Beyond its literal religious definition, preach serves as a potent metaphor for moralizing behavior. It implies a power imbalance where the speaker positions themselves as the authority on ethics. Understanding the nuance between 'sharing one's opinion' and 'preaching' is vital for social intelligence in English. It is frequently used in political or social commentary to criticize those who impose their views on others.
Etymologically, preach carries the weight of public proclamation. In literature, it is often used to evoke the imagery of the pulpit, even when the context is secular. The word carries a heavy semantic load; to 'preach' is to assert a truth that one expects others to follow. It is a word that bridges the gap between ancient religious tradition and modern interpersonal dynamics, often highlighting the tension between personal autonomy and moral guidance.
preach 30秒で
- Preach means to give a religious sermon.
- It also means to give unwanted moral advice.
- The past tense is 'preached'.
- It is often used in the idiom 'practice what you preach'.
At its core, preach is a word with two distinct lives. Primarily, it refers to the act of delivering a sermon in a religious setting. When a priest or minister speaks to a congregation, they are preaching.
However, the word has evolved to describe everyday situations. If someone talks down to you or tells you how to live your life without being asked, you might say they are preaching to you. This usage is usually critical, implying that the speaker thinks they are morally superior.
The word preach has a fascinating journey through history. It comes from the Old French word precher, which itself traces back to the Latin praedicare, meaning 'to proclaim' or 'to announce publicly.'
Originally, it wasn't strictly religious. It simply meant to declare something loudly to a crowd. Over the centuries, especially through the influence of the Church, the word became synonymous with religious instruction. By the 19th century, the figurative sense of 'lecturing' someone became common in English literature.
In religious contexts, you will often hear phrases like 'preach the gospel' or 'preach a sermon'. These are neutral and respectful.
In casual conversation, we use it to describe annoying behavior. You might hear, 'Don't preach to me about my diet!' This indicates that the listener feels judged. The register shifts from formal (religious) to informal (interpersonal conflict).
Preaching to the choir: Trying to convince people who already agree with you. Example: 'He spent an hour talking about recycling, but he was just preaching to the choir.'
Practice what you preach: To do the things you tell other people to do. Example: 'You tell me to be patient, but you should practice what you preach!'
Preach it!: An exclamation of strong agreement with a speaker. Example: 'When she said we deserve better pay, the whole room shouted, "Preach it!"'
Water and preach: A rare, old-fashioned way of saying someone is hypocritical.
Preach a sermon: To give a long, boring lecture.
Preach is a regular verb. The past tense and past participle form is preached (pronounced /priːtʃt/).
The IPA is /priːtʃ/. It rhymes with 'reach', 'beach', 'teach', 'leech', and 'peach'. The stress is on the single syllable. It is a transitive verb when followed by an object (e.g., 'preach the truth') and can be intransitive (e.g., 'he loves to preach').
豆知識
It shares a root with 'predicate', which also means to declare.
発音ガイド
- Pronouncing the 'ea' as a short 'e'.
- Dropping the 'ch' sound.
- Misstressing the syllable.
難易度
Easy to read
Easy to use
Easy to pronounce
Easy to hear
次に学ぶべきこと
前提知識
次に学ぶ
上級
知っておくべき文法
Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs
He preached (intransitive) vs He preached the gospel (transitive).
Imperative Mood
Don't preach to me!
Prepositional Phrases
Preach to someone.
レベル別の例文
The man will preach on Sunday.
The man will talk about God on Sunday.
Future tense 'will'.
He likes to preach.
He enjoys giving talks.
Verb + infinitive.
Preach the truth.
Tell the truth to everyone.
Imperative form.
The preacher is kind.
The person who talks is nice.
Noun form.
They preach every week.
They do this every seven days.
Present simple.
Do not preach to me.
Don't tell me what to do.
Negative imperative.
She preached a long talk.
She gave a long speech.
Past tense.
Is he preaching now?
Is he giving a talk right now?
Present continuous.
The priest preached about peace.
Stop preaching to me about my job.
He has preached in many cities.
They are preaching to the crowd.
She loves to preach her ideas.
Did you hear him preach?
Preaching is his full-time work.
We don't like when people preach.
He is always preaching about the environment.
She preached a sermon on forgiveness.
Don't preach to me; I know what I'm doing.
The activists preached their message to the public.
I don't want to preach, but you should study more.
He preached for over an hour.
They were preaching to the choir.
She practiced what she preached.
It’s hard to listen when he starts preaching at me.
The minister preached a powerful message on Sunday.
He has a tendency to preach about healthy living.
She felt like he was preaching down to her.
I don't mean to preach, but that's a dangerous idea.
The movement preached equality for all people.
He preached that hard work leads to success.
Stop preaching and start listening!
He preached a doctrine of radical self-reliance.
The politician preached to a skeptical audience.
She didn't want to be preached at by her boss.
He preached the virtues of frugality to his children.
The professor preached the importance of academic integrity.
It is not my place to preach to you about your life.
He preached a message of hope in dark times.
She preached against the dangers of modern technology.
His rhetoric was less of a debate and more of a preach.
She preached a gospel of absolute transparency.
He preached his ideology with missionary zeal.
The essay preached the necessity of social reform.
They were preached to by the local elders.
He spent his life preaching the tenets of his faith.
She preached a sermon of quiet resilience.
One shouldn't preach from a position of hypocrisy.
よく使う組み合わせ
慣用句と表現
"Preaching to the choir"
Trying to persuade those who already agree.
Writing this article for activists is just preaching to the choir.
casual"Practice what you preach"
Do what you tell others to do.
If you want us to be on time, practice what you preach!
neutral"Preach it!"
An expression of agreement.
When he talked about justice, the crowd yelled, 'Preach it!'
casual"Preach a sermon"
Give a long, moral lecture.
He started to preach a sermon about my messy room.
casual"Water and preach"
To act hypocritically.
He likes to water and preach, but never helps out.
literary"Preach to the converted"
Same as preaching to the choir.
You're preaching to the converted here.
neutral間違えやすい
Both involve talking to people.
Teach is for information; preach is for morals.
I teach math, but he preaches about life.
Sounds similar.
Speech is a noun; preach is a verb.
He gave a speech; he likes to preach.
Rhymes.
Reach means to touch or arrive; preach is to talk.
I can reach the shelf; he likes to preach.
Both mean to talk at people.
Sermonize is almost always negative.
He sermonized for an hour about my mistakes.
文型パターン
Subject + preach + to + Object
He preached to the crowd.
Subject + preach + about + Topic
She preached about kindness.
Don't + preach + to + me
Don't preach to me about my choices.
Subject + preach + [adjective] + message
He preached a positive message.
Subject + is + preaching + to + the + choir
You're preaching to the choir.
語族
名詞
動詞
形容詞
関連
使い方
7/10
-
Using 'preach' as a noun (e.g., 'He gave a preach').
→
He gave a sermon/lecture.
Preach is a verb, not a noun.
-
Confusing 'preach' with 'teach'.
→
Teach is for skills/knowledge; preach is for morals/religion.
They have different purposes.
-
Saying 'He preached me'.
→
He preached to me.
Preach requires the preposition 'to' when indicating the listener.
-
Thinking 'preach' is always religious.
→
It can be used for any unwanted advice.
The figurative meaning is very common.
-
Forgetting the 'ed' in past tense.
→
Preached.
It is a regular verb.
ヒント
The 'P' Trick
Think of 'P' for 'Pulpit' where preachers stand.
The 'Unsolicited' Rule
Only use 'preaching' for advice if it wasn't asked for.
Church Context
In the US South, 'preach' is a very common term for church services.
The Preposition
Always remember 'preach TO someone'.
The 'CH' Sound
Make sure to finish with a clear 'ch' sound.
Don't say 'preach me'
Always add 'to'!
Etymology
It comes from the same root as 'predicate'.
Use Examples
Write 3 sentences about your own life using 'preach'.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Preach: P-each (Person each). A person talks to each person in the room.
視覚的連想
A person standing on a box talking to a crowd.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Use the phrase 'practice what you preach' in a sentence today.
語源
Old French / Latin
元の意味： To proclaim publicly.
文化的な背景
Can be perceived as condescending if used to describe someone's personal advice.
Commonly used in churches and in family arguments.
実生活で練習する
実際の使用場面
At church
- The pastor will preach.
- A powerful sermon.
- Listen to the preacher.
In an argument
- Stop preaching to me.
- Don't lecture me.
- I didn't ask for advice.
In politics
- The candidate preached change.
- Preaching to the base.
- A moral platform.
In school
- The teacher preached hard work.
- A lesson on values.
- Listen to the message.
会話のきっかけ
"Do you think it's ever okay to preach to others?"
"Have you ever heard a really good sermon?"
"What does 'practice what you preach' mean to you?"
"Why do people dislike being preached to?"
"Who is the best speaker you have ever heard?"
日記のテーマ
Describe a time someone gave you advice you didn't want.
What are three values you would 'preach' to the world?
Do you think teachers should 'preach' morals to students?
Write about a time you felt someone was 'preaching to the choir'.
よくある質問
8 問No, it is often used for unwanted advice.
Preached.
Yes, it describes someone who gives too much advice.
No, 'teach' is better for skills.
Persuading those who already agree.
Yes, it can be quite aggressive.
The noun is 'preaching' or 'preacher'.
/priːtʃ/.
自分をテスト 5 問
The minister will ___ on Sunday.
Preach is the correct verb for a minister.
What does 'preach' mean in a non-religious way?
It often means giving unwanted advice.
If you are 'preaching to the choir', you are convincing people who already agree with you.
That is the correct definition of the idiom.
/ 5 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Preach is a powerful word that bridges the gap between religious guidance and annoying, unsolicited advice.
- Preach means to give a religious sermon.
- It also means to give unwanted moral advice.
- The past tense is 'preached'.
- It is often used in the idiom 'practice what you preach'.
The 'P' Trick
Think of 'P' for 'Pulpit' where preachers stand.
The 'Unsolicited' Rule
Only use 'preaching' for advice if it wasn't asked for.
Church Context
In the US South, 'preach' is a very common term for church services.
The Preposition
Always remember 'preach TO someone'.
例文
The minister preaches every Sunday.
関連コンテンツ
Religionの関連語
synsancthood
C1The state or quality of shared holiness or collective sacredness within a group or between entities. It refers to a bond where multiple participants are unified by a common spiritual standing or mutual reverence for the divine.
jesus
B1Jesus is the central figure of Christianity, regarded by most Christian denominations as the Son of God and the Messiah. The name is also frequently used in English as an interjection to express surprise, shock, or frustration.
pray
A1感謝や願いを伝えるために神や霊的な存在に語りかけることです。また、何かを強く願うときにも使われます。
holy
B1神聖なものや、宗教的な目的のために捧げられたものを指すよ。道徳的に清らかで、尊敬されるべき立派な人に対しても使われるね。
trinity
B1A group of three people or things that are closely associated or form a single unit. It most famously refers to the Christian Godhead as one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
bispirtude
C1ビスピルチュエート（bispirtude）とは、何かを二つの別個の、しばしば対立する部分に分割することです。
apostle
C2A pioneering advocate or a vigorous supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause. It also traditionally refers to the twelve chief disciples of Jesus Christ or the first successful Christian missionary in a specific region.
unisanctism
C1唯一かつ不可分な聖なる権威を信じる性質のこと。特定の教義や儀式だけを絶対視する厳格な体制を指す言葉だよ。
religious
A2Describes someone who has a strong belief in a god or a group of gods and follows the practices of a religion. It can also refer to things that are connected with or related to a particular religion.
homosanctous
C1グループ内で共有される神聖さの状態で、参加者全員が等しく聖なる存在と見なされることです。
