crusade

1 of 2

noun

cru·​sade krü-ˈsād How to pronounce crusade (audio)
1
capitalized : any of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to win the Holy Land from the Muslims
2
: a remedial enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm
a crusade against drunk driving

crusade

2 of 2

verb

crusaded; crusading

intransitive verb

: to engage in a crusade

Did you know?

In 1095, when Palestinian lands were held by Muslims, Pope Urban II exhorted Christians to reclaim the Holy Sepulchre and other venerated sites. Those who responded wore crosses of cloth on their breasts to identify themselves as soldiers in Christ’s army. Medieval French words for such holy wars were croisement, croiserie, croisée, and croisade, all derivatives of crois, meaning “cross.” In the 18th century, long after the crusades themselves had ceased, English borrowed both French croisade and the Spanish cruzado (likewise formed from a word meaning “cross”), blending the two to produce crusade.

Examples of crusade in a Sentence

Noun a grassroots crusade for spending more money on our public schools
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
From Operation Choke Point to the anti-crypto crusade, government interference in businesses’ ability to make and move money is a way of socially crippling them. Richard Morrison, National Review, 9 Sep. 2024 From explorations of race to an examination of a right-wing sheriffs’ crusade, there’s something for every reader. Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024
Verb
Notably, Daisy Douglas Barr both crusaded for temperance and led the Indiana Women’s KKK as its Imperial Empress, exemplifying the ties of nativism and eugenics that bound the two organizations together. Elizabeth Marshall / Made By History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024 The league has been crusading for ways to make the play safer for years with a goal of reducing head injuries, but an all-time low 21.8% of kickoffs were returned last season. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crusade 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crusade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

blend of Middle French croisade & Spanish cruzada; both ultimately from Latin cruc-, crux cross

First Known Use

Noun

1672, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1708, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crusade was in 1672

Dictionary Entries Near crusade

Cite this Entry

“Crusade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crusade. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

crusade

1 of 2 noun
cru·​sade krü-ˈsād How to pronounce crusade (audio)
1
capitalized : any of the military expeditions made by Christian countries in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims
2
: a campaign to get things changed for the better
a crusade against crime

crusade

2 of 2 verb
crusaded; crusading
: to take part in a crusade
crusader noun
Etymology

Noun

derived from early French croisade and Spanish cruzada, both meaning literally "an expedition of persons marked with or bearing the sign of the cross" and both derived from Latin cruc-, crux "cross" — related to cross

More from Merriam-Webster on crusade

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!