crusader

American  

[kroo-sayd-er] / kruˈseɪd ər /

noun

• crusaders
  plural

1. 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.

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crusaders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of crusader

crusade ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

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Explanation

A crusader is a person who works hard or campaigns forcefully for a cause. Most crusaders advocate dramatic social or political change. You can call a fierce champion for a cancer cure a crusader, and another kind of crusader could be an activist who works for school reform. Crusaders tend to be radical or at least progressive, embracing some kind of change. Crusader comes from crusade, which meant "campaign against a public evil" in the 18th century, but which earlier referred mainly to the religious-based military Crusades of the Middle Ages.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crusader crusaders

“I’ve always been an out-front crusader, whether I stand alone or with a thousand.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Steinem became known not as a crusader for women but as a former bunny.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

On the bright side, it looks like Cunningham might not have the fortitude for the life of a crusader.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

They tried to get a firm affiliated with environmental crusader Erin Brockovich interested.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

Mr. Okrent has an eye for the era’s characters, from relentless temperance crusaders to slick bootleggers and local citizens who regarded the complicated legal regime of prohibition as a novel business opportunity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Antidebt crusaders, like the personal-finance radio host Dave Ramsey, have been speaking for years about how paying thousands of dollars in interest can seriously impede a family’s ability to make progress on their other goals.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

The film mourns all such political crusaders whose names we never knew, although it wears its commentary lightly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

You’ve undoubtedly heard insistences from well-meaning crusaders like The Lincoln Project’s Ryan Williams, who rang the shame bell for all to hear last Monday.

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2025

Finally, the door swung closed 011 the last of the crusaders for Moorish dignity.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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Related Words

• agitator
• campaigner
• zealot

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