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

But the high court also rejected the nation’s first openly religious charter school in a 4-4 decision after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 23 July 2025

Deputy director of the Tennessee District Attorney General's Conference Michael Dunavant was appointed by the court to prosecute the case after District Attorney General Robert Nash recused himself. —Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 23 July 2025

The federal judge presiding over the case against five former Memphis officers convicted in the January 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols recused himself Friday, just days before he was supposed to hand down sentences for the men. —CBS News, 13 June 2025

Her legal team contends that Supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo should have recused themselves from voting. —Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 11 July 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