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 the space of a year, the major record labels have shifted from legal crusaders to would-be business partners. Virginie Berger, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025 If only the show’s many plot twists didn’t limit its parallel accounts of abrasive crusaders navigating a flawed criminal justice system by limiting viewers’ perspective on Merritt (Chloe Pirrie). Judy Berman, Time, 30 May 2025 There has been much consternation online and in the press about why Kendrick, the moral vanguard of hip-hop and conscious rap crusader, would want to collaborate with Carti given his rap sheet. Hazlitt, 28 May 2025 Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution and a fierce crusader against caste discrimination, redefined the nation’s legal and social framework. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 May 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Crusader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crusader. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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