crusader

noun

cru·​sad·​er krü-ˈsā-dər How to pronounce crusader (audio)
plural crusaders
Synonyms of crusadernext
: 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.
Through gestures big and small, Bruce Friedrich conforms to the archetype of a lifelong anti-meat crusader. Andrew Zaleski, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2026 Anti-porn crusaders of all ilks also hijacked the news of Radvinsky’s passing for their various pro-censorship agendas. Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026 Unfortunately, the garbage that RFK spewed during his time as a private sector anti-vaccine crusader and is now trying to make government policy has had vaccine skepticism growing nationwide, with deadly consequences. Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026 Unfortunately, the garbage that RFK spewed during his time as a private sector anti-vaccine crusader and is now trying to make government policy as the nation’s top public health official has had vaccine skepticism growing nationwide, with deadly consequences. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026 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 4 Apr. 2026.

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