crusader
noun
cru·sad·er
krü-ˈsā-dər 
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
Benjamin R. BarberCleanliness improved during the Middle Ages—particularly after the Crusaders imported the Turkish bath.—Winifred Gallagher
Winifred GallagherThen 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
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
Rita E. HauserExamples of crusader in a Sentence
a crusader for improved safety in coal mines
Recent Examples on the Web
Move over, Batman — there’s a new caped crusader in town, and she’s got four legs, floppy ears and a heart of gold.
—Khloe Quill, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2025
Too often over the past decade, news outlets have seen themselves as crusaders against the Trump administration and for activist government in general.
—Roger Ream, National Review, 16 Mar. 2025
Even the Democrats' most prominent anti-corporate crusaders like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren—generally admired among the group for their antagonism toward Big Pharma and Big Ag—went into full attack mode on the Health and Human Services nominee during the hearings.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen and pop singer of the 1960s whose career led her to become a spokesperson for Florida oranges in the early ’70s and an evangelical crusader against gay rights later in that decade, died Dec. 16 at age 84, her family announced Thursday.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crusader
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Khloe Quill, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2025
Too often over the past decade, news outlets have seen themselves as crusaders against the Trump administration and for activist government in general.
—Roger Ream, National Review, 16 Mar. 2025
Even the Democrats' most prominent anti-corporate crusaders like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren—generally admired among the group for their antagonism toward Big Pharma and Big Ag—went into full attack mode on the Health and Human Services nominee during the hearings.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen and pop singer of the 1960s whose career led her to become a spokesperson for Florida oranges in the early ’70s and an evangelical crusader against gay rights later in that decade, died Dec. 16 at age 84, her family announced Thursday.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crusader
Cite this Entry
“Crusader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crusader. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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