crusade

play

noun cru·sade \ krü-ˈsād \

Definition of crusade

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

See crusade defined for English-language learners

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Examples of crusade in a Sentence

a grassroots crusade for spending more money on our public schools

Recent Examples of crusade from the Web

On Friday, Jeff Sessions announced an all-out crusade against White House leaks — one in which the reporters who published leaked information might even face legal consequences.

— katherine timpf, National Review, "It Is Not Okay for Sessions to Threaten That He’ll Go After Reporters," 5 Aug. 2017
However, as Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress points out, JeffBo's new crusade sadly may work, as it is based on a perversion of the intent behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "An Important Update on the IKEA Assembly Disaster Known as Trump's Cabinet," 2 Aug. 2017
But, more importantly, Olenna used her dying breath to plant a seed with Jaime, who now knows that Cersei's crusade against Tyrion was unfounded.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "The Real Meaning Behind Olenna Tyrell's Confession to Jaime Lannister on Tonight's 'Game of Thrones'," 30 July 2017
Gov. Dan Patrick, the Senate’s presiding officer, as part of a legislative crusade that’s been years in the making.

— alexa ura and emma platoff, star-telegram, "Texas Senate committee passes ‘bathroom bill’ after 10 hours of testimony," 21 July 2017
The crusade to repeal Obamacare is now seven years on.

— danny westneat, The Seattle Times, "Trump’s ‘let it fail’ sums up why Republicans are losing on health care," 19 July 2017
The crusade that animated — and bound — conservatives for seven years proved to be a mirage, an objective without a solution.

— dan balz, chicagotribune.com, "Republican Party at war with itself hits the wall on health care," 18 July 2017
The crusade that animated — and bound — conservatives for seven years proved to be a mirage, an objective without a solution.

— dan balz, Washington Post, "A Republican Party at war with itself hits the wall on health care," 18 July 2017
For the first time in a decade, the climate crusade is on its heels and desperate for a cogent message and strong leadership.

— julie kelly, National Review, "Recycled Gore," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crusade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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.

Origin and Etymology of crusade

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1708

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crusade Synonyms

Synonyms

bandwagon, blitz, cause, campaign, drive, juggernaut, movement, push

Related Words

assault, attack, maneuver, march, offensive; action, bid, enterprise, initiative, mission, project, undertaking

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

crusade

verb

Definition of crusade

crusaded; crusading

intransitive verb

:to engage in a crusade

—

crusader

noun

See crusade defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of crusade from the Web

The Ukrainian probe has been linked to a government agency and a crusading lawmaker, but not to the president himself; the Russian campaign seems to have been directed from Vladimir Putin on down.

— uri friedman, The Atlantic, "The 'What About Ukraine?' Defense of Trump Jr.'s Russia Meeting," 13 July 2017
Gender Free ID Coalition, a group that crusades against gender identifiers on government documents, sees this as an important step toward that goal.

— chicagotribune.com, "Is notion of a genderless humanity going too far?," 10 July 2017
One, incredibly, was a crusading attorney in the DA’s office, and promptly quit to assist with her father’s defense.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "In new Steve James documentary, bankers are the heroes for a change," 14 June 2017
The Indian Prairie District 204 School Board will crusade again this year to remove election polling places from schools that don't want them there.

— suzanne baker, chicagotribune.com, "D204 wants law making counties pay for security at school polling places," 13 June 2017
Not far away is a historical marker to commemorate John Mitchell, the crusading black editor of The Richmond Planet, and a national historical site honoring Maggie L. Walker, the first African American woman to be president of an American bank.

— garrett epps, The Atlantic, "The True History of the South Is Not Being Erased," 11 June 2017
The Truth: Zionists have always paid/provoked Christian Zionists into fearing Islamic Meccanists and thus crusading against real Islam, real Christianity, and real (Palestinian Talmud) Judaism.

— glen barber, The Denver Post, "PHOTOS: 2017 Gay Pride Parade in Israel," 9 June 2017
Ashley Santos, Naperville North, senior, midfielder: Emotional and inspirational leader crusaded for mental health awareness after losing her mother to suicide.

— matt le cren, Naperville Sun, "Announcing the Naperville Sun 2017 Girls Soccer All-Area Team," 8 June 2017
Chile long grappled with the task of bringing to justice the perpetrators of crimes committed in that era, and crusading judges and more sympathetic authorities have led to an increase in convictions in recent years.

— NBC News, "Chile: Judge Jails Over 100 Former Secret Police from Pinochet Dictatorship," 2 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of crusade

see ¹crusade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1732

See Words from the same year

CRUSADE Defined for English Language Learners

crusade

play

noun

Definition of crusade for English Language Learners

Crusade : any one of the wars that European Christian countries fought against Muslims in Palestine in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries
: a major effort to change something

crusade

verb

Definition of crusade for English Language Learners

: to take part in a major effort to change something

CRUSADE Defined for Kids

crusade

play

noun cru·sade \ krü-ˈsād \

Definition of crusade for Students

1 capitalized :one of the military expeditions made by Christian countries in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims

2 :a campaign to get things changed for the better

a crusade against litter

crusade

verb

Definition of crusade for Students

crusaded; crusading

1 :to take part in a medieval military expedition to recover the Holy Land

2 :to take part in a campaign to make things better

—

crusader

\krü-ˈsā-dər\ noun

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See words that rhyme with crusade Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for crusade Spanish Central: Translation of crusade Nglish: Translation of crusade for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of crusade for Arabic speakers

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crusade

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Origin and Etymology of crusade

crusade Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Military Terms

crusade

Definition of crusade

crusader

Recent Examples of crusade from the Web

Origin and Etymology of crusade

CRUSADE Defined for English Language Learners

crusade

Definition of crusade for English Language Learners

crusade

Definition of crusade for English Language Learners

CRUSADE Defined for Kids

crusade

Definition of crusade for Students

crusade

Definition of crusade for Students

crusader

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