Word
crusade
Phoneticscru·sade, stress on the second syllable
US/kɹuˈseɪd/
UK/kɹuːsˈeɪd/
Definitions
01a campaign for change
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Politics
n. a long and determined effort to achieve something you believe is right or to stop something you think is wrong.
n. a vigorous, concerted movement or campaign for a cause, often social, political, or moral in nature.
“The local newspaper started a crusade against the new plastic waste in the ocean.”
“The senator led a lifelong crusade against corporate corruption, eventually resulting in the landmark legislation passed last autumn.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'against' or 'for'.
02historical religious war
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Religion Formal
n. one of the religious wars in the 11th to 13th centuries where European Christians fought to take control of the Holy Land.
n. any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from Muslim rule.
“In history class, we learned about the First Crusade and its effect on Europe.”
“Historians continue to debate the complex economic and social motivations that drove the nobility to join the Third Crusade.”
Teaching tip
When referring to the specific historical events, the word is usually capitalized as 'the Crusades'.
Synonyms
03to fight for a cause
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to take part in a long and energetic campaign for something you believe in.
v. to lead or take part in an energetic and persistent campaign for a specific cause.
“She has spent years crusading for better rights for part-time workers.”
“The activist spent her entire career crusading for environmental protections, even when faced with significant political opposition.”
Usage
The verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'for' or 'against'.
Real-World Examples
“More than a decade after Rui Pinto set up the Football Leaks website in a crusade triggered by the Fifa scandal in 2015, he finds himself in the middle of a growing storm.” “Image caption, The Express has taken a more skeptical view of Burnham's address to the Labour Party conference, launching a "crusade" to save the triple lock.” Etymology
From French croisade, introduced into English (in the French spelling) by 1575. The modern spelling emerges c. 1760,. Middle French croisade is introduced in the 15th century, based on Spanish cruzada (late 14th century) and Old Occitan crozada (early 13th century), both reflecting Medieval Latin cruciāta, cruxiata, the feminine singular of the adjective cruciātus used as an abstract noun. Adjectival cruciātus originally meant "tormented; crucified", but from the 12th century crucesignatus was also used for "marked with a cross; making the sign of the cross" and eventually "taking the cross" in the sense of "going on a crusade". Old Occitan crozada is used in the sense "[the Albigensian] crusade" in the Song of the Albigensian crusade, written c. 1213. From vernacular usage, Middle Latin cruciāta also comes to be used in the sense "crusade" from about 1270.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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