calculate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to determine or ascertain by mathematical methods; compute.
to calculate the velocity of light.
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to determine by reasoning, common sense, or practical experience; estimate; evaluate; gauge.
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to make suitable or fit for a purpose; adapt (usually used passively and with an infinitive).
His remarks were calculated to inspire our confidence.
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Chiefly Northern U.S.
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to think; guess.
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to intend; plan.
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verb (used without object)
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to make a computation or form an estimate.
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to count or rely (usually followed by on orupon ).
They calculated on good weather.
verb
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to solve (one or more problems) by a mathematical procedure; compute
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to determine beforehand by judgment, reasoning, etc; estimate
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(tr; usually passive) to design specifically; aim
the car was calculated to appeal to women
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to depend; rely
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dialect (tr; may take a clause as object)
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to suppose; think
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to intend (to do something)
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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calculatesimple
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calculatessimple
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have calculatedperfect
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has calculatedperfect
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am calculatingprogressive
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are calculatingprogressive
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is calculatingprogressive
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have been calculatingperfect progressive
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has been calculatingperfect progressive
Past
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calculatedsimple
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had calculatedperfect
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was calculatingprogressive
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were calculatingprogressive
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had been calculatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of calculate
First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin calculātus “reckoned,” past participle of calculāre “to reckon,” derivative of calculus “pebble”; see calculus
Explanation
To calculate is to compute, by figuring out a mathematical equation or a situation. You can calculate your monthly student loan payments, or calculate the risk of not paying them on time. Calculate derives from the Latin word for "count." When you calculate, you either count something up or calculate on something happening. You might be able to calculate the answer to a simple equation in your head but need a calculator to figure out a more complex problem. And when someone is calculating, they are scheming or conniving, always figuring out the fastest way to get ahead.
Vocabulary lists containing calculate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Pi Day Vocabulary
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"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In an environment where economic and political volatility is the norm, Generation Z cannot easily calculate risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
They worried that it would be complicated to calculate a part-time students’ aid eligibility and to explain it to them.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
If I had to calculate my own ratio of work done to soccer watched ... well, as I am not a sports reporter, I don’t think my editor would be thrilled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Duffy said there are long-term career opportunities available for new social media stars, but exactly how much money can be earned is hard to calculate.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
She’s right: some things aren’t easy to calculate.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
They can also choose a plan that calculates payments as a share of a borrower’s income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
He created a Pythagorean expectation formula, which Morey had once adapted for basketball, and calculates how often a team should have won based on how much it has scored and allowed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Adjust his analysis for the current SpaceX market price and conservatively assume a provision for taxes, and Barron’s calculates a net asset value of $185 to $190 per share.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The hospital association calculates that SEIU-UHW has spent nearly $125 million on local and statewide initiatives since 2012.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
I wonder how she calculates her pace—with her watch or with her brain.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Fundamentally there is the speed of a moving object, calculated by dividing distance by time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
But its soaring atriums decorated with onyx and green marble could hardly be better calculated to induce jealousy in Trump, who frequently raves about the opulent dwellings of other foreign leaders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
They are out of date as methods of calculating prices, because they are calculated using old-fashioned, preinternet methods and data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Probably one of the biggest changes coming for undergraduate students is the way loans are calculated for students who attend college part time.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Neel had calculated the tides perfectly; the whole path was above water.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
They also tested different crustal compositions and temperature conditions before calculating how much fractured, water permeable crust each impact produced.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
They are out of date as methods of calculating prices, because they are calculated using old-fashioned, preinternet methods and data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
“However you can get out of LAX the fastest and the cheapest is how everybody’s calculating in my circle of bartenders and magicians” said Joshua Lucas, a passenger who was recently arriving at LAX.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
She added that perpetrators of sextortion were often patient and calculating, building "that connection".
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
As a young man, Blaise invented a mechanical calculating machine, named the Pascaline, which is similar to some of the mechanical calculators that engineers used before the invention of the electronic calculator.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
