crusade

1 of 2

noun

cru·​sade krü-ˈsād 

1

capitalized : any of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to win the Holy Land from the Muslims

2

: a remedial enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm

a crusade against drunk driving

crusade

2 of 2

verb

crusaded; crusading

intransitive verb

: to engage in a crusade

Did you know?

In 1095, when Palestinian lands were held by Muslims, Pope Urban II exhorted Christians to reclaim the Holy Sepulchre and other venerated sites. Those who responded wore crosses of cloth on their breasts to identify themselves as soldiers in Christ’s army. Medieval French words for such holy wars were croisement, croiserie, croisée, and croisade, all derivatives of crois, meaning “cross.” In the 18th century, long after the crusades themselves had ceased, English borrowed both French croisade and the Spanish cruzado (likewise formed from a word meaning “cross”), blending the two to produce crusade.

Synonyms

Noun

• campaign
• movement

Examples of crusade in a Sentence

Noun

a grassroots crusade for spending more money on our public schools

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Now — with the counter-trafficking crusade poised to continue — some members of Congress are sounding alarm bells. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025

In Mutiny, after witnessing his billionaire boss’ murder and being framed for the crime, Cole Reed (Statham) boards a cargo ship on a one-man crusade to avenge his boss’ death only to discover an international conspiracy. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025

Verb

That rallying cry came in 1981, from the crusading pastors Donald Wildmon and Jerry Falwell and the conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, who called for advertisers to boycott some 50 shows aired by the three broadcast networks. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025

Their uncompromising moral clarity shaped the conscience of the West, later echoed by Christian preachers crusading for abolition, civil rights, and human dignity. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

blend of Middle French croisade & Spanish cruzada; both ultimately from Latin cruc-, crux cross

First Known Use

Noun

1672, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1708, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for crusade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

crusade

1 of 2 noun

cru·​sade krü-ˈsād 

1

capitalized : any of the military expeditions made by Christian countries in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims

2

: a campaign to get things changed for the better

a crusade against crime

crusade

2 of 2 verb

crusaded; crusading

: to take part in a crusade

crusader noun

Etymology

Noun

derived from early French croisade and Spanish cruzada, both meaning literally "an expedition of persons marked with or bearing the sign of the cross" and both derived from Latin cruc-, crux "cross" — related to cross