torchbearer
noun
torch·bear·er ˈtȯrch-ˌber-ər 
1
: one that carries a torch
2
: someone in the forefront of a campaign, crusade, or movement
Example Sentences
He became the torchbearer for civil rights.
Recent Examples on the Web And now, with Abbott as the critical darling of the Emmys and the torchbearer for network sitcoms typically put out to pasture in today's streaming age, more people than ever are paying attention. 
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 9 Sep. 2022 The last two installments of The Life of Pi’erre cemented him as a formidable torchbearer for the kind of melodic and lush raps his frequent collaborator Playboi Carti elevated during his early SoundCloud era. Dewayne Gage, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2022 The 911 is Porsche’s torchbearer, born in 1964 to race. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2022 King, who for all these years has been a prime torchbearer for female empowerment in sports, made her disgust plain. Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 25 June 2022 One previous Uyghur Olympic torchbearer is also highlighting how performative these acts of inclusion are, even when actual minorities are involved. Tiffany Ap, Quartz, 4 Feb. 2022 Years later, Ping received an invitation from Chinese officials to be a torchbearer at the opening ceremony in Beijing of the Summer Games in 2008. New York Times, 11 Mar. 2022 Media reports of a romantic relationship flared when Ms. Kabaeva was selected as a torchbearer at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Vivian Salama, WSJ, 24 Apr. 2022 During the run-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, China designated a soldier involved in the June 2020 clash with Indian troops to be a torchbearer, infuriating Indian officials. Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2022 See More
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 9 Sep. 2022 The last two installments of The Life of Pi’erre cemented him as a formidable torchbearer for the kind of melodic and lush raps his frequent collaborator Playboi Carti elevated during his early SoundCloud era. Dewayne Gage, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2022 The 911 is Porsche’s torchbearer, born in 1964 to race. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2022 King, who for all these years has been a prime torchbearer for female empowerment in sports, made her disgust plain. Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 25 June 2022 One previous Uyghur Olympic torchbearer is also highlighting how performative these acts of inclusion are, even when actual minorities are involved. Tiffany Ap, Quartz, 4 Feb. 2022 Years later, Ping received an invitation from Chinese officials to be a torchbearer at the opening ceremony in Beijing of the Summer Games in 2008. New York Times, 11 Mar. 2022 Media reports of a romantic relationship flared when Ms. Kabaeva was selected as a torchbearer at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Vivian Salama, WSJ, 24 Apr. 2022 During the run-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, China designated a soldier involved in the June 2020 clash with Indian troops to be a torchbearer, infuriating Indian officials. Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1