recourse

American  

[ree-kawrs, -kohrs, ri-kawrs, -kohrs] / ˈri kɔrs, -koʊrs, rɪˈkɔrs, -ˈkoʊrs /

noun

1. access or resort to a person or thing for help or protection.

   to have recourse to the courts for justice.

2. a person or thing resorted to for help or protection.

3. the right to collect from a maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument. The endorser may add the words “without recourse” on the instrument, thereby transferring the instrument without assuming any liability.

---

recourse British  

/ rɪˈkɔːs /

noun

1. the act of resorting to a person, course of action, etc, in difficulty or danger (esp in the phrase have recourse to )

2. a person, organization, or course of action that is turned to for help, protection, etc

3. the right to demand payment, esp from the drawer or endorser of a bill of exchange or other negotiable instrument when the person accepting it fails to pay

4. a qualified endorsement on such a negotiable instrument, by which the endorser protects himself or herself from liability to subsequent holders

---

Etymology

Origin of recourse

1350–1400; Middle English recours < Old French < Late Latin recursus, Latin: return, retreat, noun use of past participle of recurrere to run back; recur

Example Sentences

Lu said his “recourse to legal action has never been about muzzling fair criticism. It’s about defending against false claims that can seriously damage reputations.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"Before buying any crypto asset they should ask who controls it, where the documentation is, and what recourse they have if it fails," she said.

From BBC

For now, Mr. Alpert said the advocates’ legal recourse was “unclear.”

From New York Times

Ikenga said it was regrettable that “a convoy of such or any related will enter the state without recourse to the police in the area or any security agency.”

From Seattle Times

Back then, therapy was still perceived in some circles as a rarefied recourse for the irredeemably neurotic.

From New York Times

Related Words

• remedy