From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcrusadecru‧sade1 /kruːˈseɪd/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 FIGHT FOR OR AGAINST somethinga determined attempt to change something because you think you are morally right → campaigncrusade against/for He seems to be running a one-man crusade against cigarette smoking.2 (also Crusade)RRCWAR one of a series of wars fought in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by Christian armies trying to take Palestine from the Muslims
Examples from the Corpus
crusade• He has begun a crusade for gun control.• Theirs was a correction of smug Victorian concepts, a crusade sprung from reactive energies.• The president also would require tobacco companies to pay for a $ 150 million advertising crusade to stop young people from smoking.• Amid this moral decay, religious, ethnic and caste crusades have a growing appeal.• Alice was to be handed over to a guardian nominated by Richard, who would marry her after his return from crusade.• She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.• The doctor has taunted officialdom since he began his crusade to help terminally ill people kill themselves almost three years ago.• The fact that it was invited to join a coalition marks the crowning achievement of its crusade to achieve political respectability.• As a politician she's made the fight for women's rights into a personal crusade.• In the crusade for civil rights, the federal government sets a uniform standard that overrides local prejudices.• We have won the crusade for a balanced budget with tax relief.crusade against/for• In the civil war of 324 he had represented his military campaign as a crusade against a corrupt paganism.• They see the United States as fighting a proxy counterinsurgency war disguised as a crusade against drugs.• He urged parents and churches to join a crusade against crime.• They thought that he would launch a crusade against corruption and make heads roll before ordering elections.• The new mayor is actively crusading against drugs and gangs.• That's Crusade against Cruelty, tomorrow, at six twenty five.• Money solved that problem, as it was to solve many others to come in the crusade against polio.• In the crusade for civil rights, the federal government sets a uniform standard that overrides local prejudices.• We have won the crusade for a balanced budget with tax relief.crusadecrusade2 verb [intransitive] RRCto take part in a crusade SYN campaigncrusade against/for He continued to crusade for free education for all. —crusader noun [countable]→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
crusade• During his six months in office, Illes crusaded against powerful and entrenched organisations such as the water and power industries.• And he intends to crusade for the return of the blocks.• Lange has crusaded in the past on emissions issues, such as heavy goods vehicle pollution.• And he crusaded to boost minority enrollment in honors classes until it matched the percentage of minorities enrolled in the school.• The difference, of course, is that in 1964 Congress was dominated by liberals crusading to expand the power of government.crusade against/for• We have won the crusade for a balanced budget with tax relief.• In the civil war of 324 he had represented his military campaign as a crusade against a corrupt paganism.• In the crusade for civil rights, the federal government sets a uniform standard that overrides local prejudices.• They thought that he would launch a crusade against corruption and make heads roll before ordering elections.• He urged parents and churches to join a crusade against crime.• That's Crusade against Cruelty, tomorrow, at six twenty five.• They see the United States as fighting a proxy counterinsurgency war disguised as a crusade against drugs.• Money solved that problem, as it was to solve many others to come in the crusade against polio.Origin crusade1 (1400-1500) Old French croisade and Spanish cruzada, both from Latin crux; → CROSS2 