preach to the choir

English

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Verb

preach to the choir (third-person singular simple present preaches to the choir, present participle preaching to the choir, simple past and past participle preached to the choir)

  1. (idiomatic) To speak as if to convince a person or group of something they already believe.
    • 1999 August 6, Frank Pellegrini, “Now the Tax Cut Is in the Hands of the Voters”, in Time:
      Jay Branegan says each side will be preaching to the choir. "Democrats will make the argument that's been successful with their base . . . [that] Republicans are merely helping the rich."

Usage notes

  • Often used to imply that a speaker is addressing the wrong audience or is deliberately addressing a complaint to an already sympathetic audience.

Synonyms

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See also

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