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

Price is accused of failing to list money that a company solely owned by his wife, Delbra Pettice Richardson, received from developers and failing to recuse himself from voting to approve certain projects. —Daily News, 29 Jan. 2026

Asked whether Espinoza’s service on the commission posed a conflict of interest, Tomlinson said Ellis recused herself during Espinoza’s appointment by the mayor. —Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026

At the meeting on Tuesday, council members voted 6-0, with Councilmember Noah Blom recusing himself, to rescind their earlier approval. —Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 28 Jan. 2026

One member recused herself from the vote. —Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026

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