preacher
part of speech
noun (a preacher, preachers)
meaning for a pupil
1) A person who gives religious talks (sermons), especially in a church. tree →
2) (informal, negative) A person who keeps telling others how they should behave: «Stop being such a preacher!» tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and history a travelling preacher speaks to crowds; in everyday life a minister, priest or pastor preaches on Sundays. In talk, «preachy» means lecturing others about right and wrong. Phrases: «a lay preacher», «preaching to the choir/converted» (telling people what they already agree with), «practise what you preach».
examples
- The preacher spoke to a crowd in the square. tree →
- Our village preacher tells funny stories. tree →
- The old preacher rode from town to town. tree →
- My big sister is such a preacher about healthy food! tree →
- "Practise what you preach," said Mum. tree →
- The preacher's voice filled the church. tree →
- Many preachers spoke out against slavery. tree →
- It was dreadful to hear all that, for the preacher spoke from his heart, and all the people in the church were terrified. tree →
note
Countable: preachers. From «preach». «Preachy» is a mildly negative adjective. Respect different beliefs: preachers come from many religions.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «preacher» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.