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Synonyms

crusade

American  
[kroo-seyd] / kruˈseɪd /

noun

  1. 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.

  2. any war carried on under papal sanction.

  3. any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc..

    a crusade against child abuse.

verb (used without object)

crusaded, crusading

  1. to go on or engage in a crusade.

crusade British  
/ kruːˈseɪd /

noun

  1. (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

  2. (formerly) any holy war undertaken on behalf of a religious cause

  3. a vigorous and dedicated action or movement in favour of a cause

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to campaign vigorously for something

  2. to go on a crusade

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • crusader noun
  • noncrusading adjective
  • post-Crusade adjective
  • pre-Crusade adjective

Etymology

Origin of crusade

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier crusada, from Spanish cruzada; replacing croisade, from Middle French. See cross, -ade 1

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.

Brought alongside six other high-profile figures, including pop icon Elton John and his husband David Furnish, it is the prince's last active legal case in his long-running crusade against the British media.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

His crusade to cut red tape and ease zoning rules has pitted him against environmentalists and Nimby activists while winning praise from developers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

This may seem like an unlikely crusade for the president, but the proposal to insure hair loss treatment was a rallying cry in Lee's unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

On this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed this whirlwind of developments in the government’s relentless crusade against Abrego Garcia.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2025

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.