crusader
Americannoun
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Often Crusader a participant in any of the crusades or military expeditions undertaken with papal sanction by the Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries in an effort to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims.
Orders of monks who were also knights became the "storm troops" of the Christian crusaders.
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a participant in any vigorous movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc..
Nepal's most prominent crusader for equal rights for sexual minorities was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Etymology
Origin of crusader
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.
A self-styled anti-corruption crusader, Yoon rose from star prosecutor to South Korean president in just a few years.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
Ackman’s profile has risen beyond Wall Street since he became an outspoken social crusader and aligned himself with figures including President Trump and Elon Musk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025
From that moment, she became a globe-trotting crusader for animal rights.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025
“Only Nixon could go to China,” because Richard Nixon had spent decades in Congress making his name as a rabid anti-communist crusader.
From Slate • Sep. 8, 2025
Royal had read of the man’s exploits in the newspaper—lawyer, abolitionist crusader, bane of slavers and those who did their dirty work.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
