reckon

American  

[rek-uhn] / ˈrɛk ən /

verb (used with object)

• reckons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reckoned,
  past participle,  past
• reckoning
  present participle

1. to count, compute, or calculate, as in number or amount.

   Synonyms:

   enumerate

2. to esteem or consider; regard as.

   to be reckoned an authority in the field.

   Synonyms:

   judge, estimate, deem, account

3. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to think or suppose.

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verb (used without object)

• reckons,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reckoned,
  past participle,  past
• reckoning
  present participle

1. to count; make a computation or calculation.

2. to settle accounts, as with a person (often followed byup ).

3. to count, depend, or rely, as in expectation (often followed byon ).

4. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to think or suppose.

verb phrase

1. reckon with

   1. to include in consideration or planning; anticipate.

      He hadn't reckoned with so many obstacles.

   2. to deal with.

      I have to reckon with many problems every day.

reckon British  

/ ˈrɛkən /

verb

1. to calculate or ascertain by calculating; compute

2. (tr) to include; count as part of a set or class

   I reckon her with the angels

3. (usually passive) to consider or regard

   he is reckoned clever

4. (when tr, takes a clause as object) to think or suppose; be of the opinion

   I reckon you don't know where to go next

5. to settle accounts (with)

6. (intr; foll by with or without) to take into account or fail to take into account

   the bully reckoned without John's big brother

7. (intr; foll by on or upon) to rely or depend

   I reckon on your support in this crisis

8. slang (tr) to regard as good

   I don't reckon your chances of success

9. informal (tr) to have a high opinion of

   she was sensitive to bad reviews, even from people she did not reckon

10. of considerable importance or influence

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reckon Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing reckon

• force to be reckoned with

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outreckon
  verb (used with object)
• prereckon
  verb (used with object)
• underreckon
  verb (used with object)
• unreckon
  verb (used with object)
• reckonable
  adjective
• unreckonable
  adjective
• unreckoned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reckoning
  present
• reckoned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reckon
  simple
• reckons
  simple
• have reckoned
  perfect
• has reckoned
  perfect
• am reckoning
  progressive
• are reckoning
  progressive
• is reckoning
  progressive
• have been reckoning
  perfect progressive
• has been reckoning
  perfect progressive

Past

• reckoned
  simple
• had reckoned
  perfect
• was reckoning
  progressive
• were reckoning
  progressive
• had been reckoning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reckon
  simple
• will have reckoned
  perfect
• will be reckoning
  progressive
• will have been reckoning
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of reckon

First recorded before 1000; Middle English rekenen, Old English gerecenian “to report, pay”; cognate with German rechnen “to compute”

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Explanation

Reckon means "guess" or "imagine," and is often used by rural types in Hollywood movies who say things like "I reckon I'll be moseyin' on." Reckon also means "suppose" or "think," as in "I reckon he's put his nose where it don't belong one too many times." If reckon sounds odd, that’s because it's mostly gone out of style. When used to talk about prediction, it's a little more common, as in "Who do you reckon is going to win the Super Bowl?" Still, it sounds a little old-fashioned. Many people use the word just for fun. Saying "I reckon" sounds more humorous than "Yes."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reckon reckons reckoned reckoning

Service revenue may have remained flat as tighter prepaid SIM registration rules weighed on demand, although lower dealer commissions and SIM card costs should cushion the impact, they reckon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

In the University of Wyoming’s Cowboy Leadership Experience—the best-named executive education program, hands down—participants reckon with harsh truths about human nature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

"I reckon it's a wake-up call, and the girls will think so too. We fought our way back, so we will take that away with things to work on."

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

And they reckon the program could cut its shortfall by 40% by limiting COLAs to the dollar amount received by those at the 30th percentile.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

“Seems like just yesterday, but I reckon it wasn’t,” he said.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

On balance, Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, reckons that gains from AI in areas like manufacturing aren’t enough to completely offset losses elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Slower growth among key trading partners, uncertainty over global trade policies and subdued commodity prices may also weigh on exports, he reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

But one railway expert reckons the tram-trains are maybe just too complicated.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

It’s possible that hyperscalers might have over-ordered relative to their needs if data centers are delayed but still, Privorotsky reckons this has already been reflected in lower valuations.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

“He’s supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it.”

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Researchers reckoned that 25% of the money paid to U.S. hospitals is blown on administrative costs.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

"He reckoned he failed if he lost his temper."

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Olsi reckoned it would probably start up again in the autumn, though, regardless of those survey results.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

The true freshman defensive end played only 23 snaps in the season-opening win over San Jose State, but stood out as a force with which to be reckoned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Unfortunately, space being spacious, the average distance between any two of these civilizations is reckoned to be at least two hundred light-years, which is a great deal more than merely saying it makes it sound.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Security experts have warned for years that companies will face a brutal reckoning once artificial intelligence hands hackers a lopsided advantage over corporate defenders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Only once during the call, by my reckoning, did Joyner allude to the real reason for the split.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Hungary is scheduled to release communist-era secret police files Wednesday, identifying tens of thousands of former informants in a long-delayed reckoning with the central European country's repressive past.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

England edged towards a World Cup exit after their points chase against Papua New Guinea descended into a chaotic and error-strewn 34-12 victory that will almost certainly prove insufficient in the final reckoning.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

“We will have lost a man,” said Jon, “but we have just gained sixty-three. You’re good at counting, my lord. Correct me if I’m wrong, but my reckoning leaves us sixty-two ahead.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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