crusade
Americannoun
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Often Crusade any of the military expeditions undertaken by the Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land from the Muslims.
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any war carried on under papal sanction.
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any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc..
a crusade against child abuse.
verb (used without object)
noun
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(often capital) any of the military expeditions undertaken in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by the Christian powers of Europe to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims
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(formerly) any holy war undertaken on behalf of a religious cause
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a vigorous and dedicated action or movement in favour of a cause
verb
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to campaign vigorously for something
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to go on a crusade
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has crusadedperfect 3rd person singular
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have crusadedperfect
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am crusadingprogressive 1st person singular
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is crusadingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are crusadingprogressive
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crusadingparticiple
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has been crusadingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been crusadingperfect progressive
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crusadessingular 3rd person
Past
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had crusadedperfect
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had been crusadingperfect progressive
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was crusadingprogressive singular
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were crusadingprogressive plural
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crusadedsimple
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crusadedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of crusade
First recorded in 1570–80; earlier crusada, from Spanish cruzada; replacing croisade, from Middle French. See cross, -ade 1
Explanation
If you go on a crusade against vegetables, you are waging a long-term battle against leafy greens. A crusade is a passionate struggle against something or someone. In the 11th through 13th centuries, Roman Catholics attempting to win control of parts of what they considered the Holy Land (currently Israeli, Jordanian, Lebanese, and Palestinian lands) waged military battles against the Muslims who controlled the land. These battles are called the Crusades. The word crusade carries with it the feeling of a violent and vigorous fight. So if someone is on a crusade to do something, they mean business!
Vocabulary lists containing crusade
Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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The Middle East and Central Asia - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the end, Manzo’s crusade would cost him his life — and force Quiroz to make a painful decision: abandon her husband’s fight, or embrace it as her own.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The unlikely vehicle is not some glamorous investigative exposé or Pulitzer-winning newsroom crusade.
From Salon • May 13, 2026
"To wage this moral and legal crusade, we have appointed a team of seasoned professionals with undeniable expertise," Fall announced in Paris, flanked by members of the FSF legal team.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
This dissent marked an escalation in Jackson’s crusade against shadow docket abuses.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
They were both mixed up with the conservative ethics of Force Majeur against which the King had started his crusade.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
