crusader

noun

cru·​sad·​er krü-ˈsā-dər How to pronounce crusader (audio)
plural crusaders
: one who engages in a crusade: such as
a
Crusader : a person who participated in any of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to win the Holy Land from the Muslims
This is religion as the Crusaders knew it: a battle to the death for souls that if not saved will be forever lost.Benjamin R. Barber
Cleanliness improved during the Middle Ages—particularly after the Crusaders imported the Turkish bath.Winifred Gallagher
Then the church was looted by the Christian crusaders from the West, who converted it for fifty-seven years to the Roman Catholic ritual.Mario Salvadori
b
: a person who makes an impassioned and sustained effort to bring about social or political change
human rights crusaders
an anti-government crusader
Black women lawyers early on were in the forefront of the civil rights struggle. Many women attorneys were crusaders for the poor and needy …Rita E. Hauser

Examples of crusader in a Sentence

a crusader for improved safety in coal mines
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In videos, Prince is charming, goofy, a crusader for her causes. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 Another reminder about Cruz's Cancun trip Allred, in a fiery speech, pinned the blame for the overturning of Roe v. Wade on Cruz, who was elected to the Senate as an antiabortion crusader in 2012. John C. Moritz, Austin American-Statesman, 25 Oct. 2024 Election integrity crusaders have often sought to cast their efforts as innocent reactions to chicanery in the Democratic Party. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024 The film chronicles the handful of years that followed, with Ito serving by turns as traumatized victim, persevering reporter, and #MeToo movement crusader. Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crusader 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crusader was circa 1701

Dictionary Entries Near crusader

Cite this Entry

“Crusader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crusader. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

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