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
Matt Schooley, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
After Krischer declined to prosecute, Reiter took the unusual step of writing a later asking Krischer to recuse himself from the case.
—Julie Brown, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Stratton’s campaign and Level Up have previously said the lieutenant governor recused herself from the PAC after embarking on her Senate run and that the two don’t coordinate.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for recuse
Cite this Entry
“Recuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recuse. Accessed 15 Feb. 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
