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
Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Ballard recused himself from the discussion and vote.
—Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The court split 4-4 on the case, as Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself.
—Gray Rohrer, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Musk formally accused McCormick of bias last week, and his attorneys demanded that the Delaware Court of Chancery judge recuse herself from two Tesla lawsuits.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for recuse
Cite this Entry
“Recuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recuse. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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
