preach on

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To give a religious talk or sermon about a particular subject, especially in church.

   Grammar: No object; often followed by 'about' or 'on' plus a subject: preach on forgiveness.

   Patterns

   • preach on something
   • preach on about something

   The minister preached on the importance of forgiveness.

   He preached on Sunday about caring for the poor.

   She was invited to preach on the topic of hope.

2. 2verbintransitivedisapprovinginformal

   To continue talking in a moralizing or preachy way, often when others find it annoying.

   Grammar: No object; often used in progressive forms: He's preaching on again.

   Patterns

   • preach on
   • preach on about something

   My uncle preached on for an hour about the younger generation.

   Stop preaching on about my diet—I know what I'm doing.

   She kept preaching on about how we should all work harder.

Word forms

Common combinations

preach on a topic

The guest speaker preached on the topic of social justice.

preach on Sunday

The pastor preached on Sunday about gratitude.

preach on about

He's always preaching on about the good old days.

preach on forgiveness

She preached on forgiveness after the community conflict.

Synonyms and how they differ

sermonize

More formal and slightly old-fashioned; it means to give a sermon or to talk in a moralizing way.

lecture

Used when someone talks seriously and at length to criticize or advise, often when it is not wanted.

moralize

Focuses on talking about right and wrong behavior, not necessarily in a religious setting.

Word family

preach verb

To give a religious talk or to urge people to behave well.

preacher noun

A person who gives religious talks, especially in a church.

preaching noun

The activity or style of giving religious talks.

Commonly confused: preach on or preach?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “preach on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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