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.
Most Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will be unfamiliar with this nefarious dark alter ego of the mysterious crusader called Sentry, who is essentially Marvel Comics' psychotic version of DC Comics' Superman. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 8 Apr. 2025 Now, those advisers are gone, replaced by Mr. Musk and a crew of far-right crusaders who are cheering him. Peter Baker, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025 The portly, silver-haired son of a Breton fisherman, saw himself as a crusader for preserving French identity under the National Front's banner. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 Vieira, elected as an anti-corruption crusader, had supported Bolsonaro in 2018. Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 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 25 Apr. 2025.

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