Did you know?
If you ever find yourself accused of refusing to recuse yourself, look on the bright side: you may be in a legal predicament, but you’ve also got a great occasion to learn some etymology. Accuse and recuse not only share space in the vocabulary of the courtroom, they both ultimately trace back to the Latin word causa, meaning “legal case,” “reason,” or “cause.” The current legal use of recuse to mean “to disqualify (oneself) as a judge” didn’t settle into frequent use until the 19th century. Broader application soon followed, and you can now recuse yourself from such things as debates and decisions as well as court cases.
Examples of recuse in a Sentence
Tom Frieden, Time, 16 June 2025
An investigation by Science found strict requirements for public disclosures, divestment of financial interests related to vaccines, and for members to recuse themselves from votes where a conflict exists.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 June 2025
Advisory members are also required to disclose conflicts of interest, recusing themselves from voting on vaccines for which conflicts exist.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 11 June 2025
In a press release issued earlier Monday, White called on Legislator Manny Abarca to recuse himself from the budget vote, citing multiple court cases pending against Abarca after an escalating domestic dispute last week involving the legislator’s wife and 2-year-old son.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for recuse
Cite this Entry
“Recuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recuse. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
recuse
transitive verb
California Penal CodeAnglo-French recuser to refuse, from Middle French, from Latin recusare, from re- back + causari to give a reason, from causa cause, reason
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