recuse

verb

re·​cuse ri-ˈkyüz 

recused; recusing

transitive verb

: to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case

broadly : to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest

recusal

ri-ˈkyü-zəl 

noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Committee members must divest vaccine company stock and recuse themselves from votes involving conflicts. —Jake Scott, The Conversation, 26 June 2025

The justices’ book deals recently caused the high court to decline to hear Baker v. Coates, a copyright case involving author Ta-Nehisi Coates and Penguin Random House, after five justices recused themselves. —Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 17 June 2025

The source said Grenell plans to recuse himself from any potential conflicts with the Kennedy Center given his Live Nation post; given his special envoy status, Grenell may have more leeway in accepting outside positions. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 13 June 2025

Surely another case will come before the court before too long, and this time no justice will see fit to recuse him or herself. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to refuse, reject, from Anglo-French recuser, from Latin recusare

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for recuse

• accrues
• accuse
• aircrews
• amuse
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• defuse

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Legal Definition

recuse

transitive verb

re·​cuse ri-ˈkyüz 

recused; recusing

1

: to challenge or object to (as a judge) as having prejudice or a conflict of interest

2

: to disqualify (as oneself or another judge or official) for a proceeding by a judicial act because of prejudice or conflict of interest

an order recusing the district attorney from any proceeding may be appealed by the district attorney or the Attorney General

—California Penal Code

recusement noun

Etymology

Anglo-French recuser to refuse, from Middle French, from Latin recusare, from re- back + causari to give a reason, from causa cause, reason