calculate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
calculates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
calculated,
past participle, past
-
calculating
present participle
-
to determine or ascertain by mathematical methods; compute.
to calculate the velocity of light.
-
to determine by reasoning, common sense, or practical experience; estimate; evaluate; gauge.
-
to make suitable or fit for a purpose; adapt (usually used passively and with an infinitive).
His remarks were calculated to inspire our confidence.
-
Chiefly Northern U.S.
-
to think; guess.
-
to intend; plan.
-
verb (used without object)
-
calculates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
calculated,
past participle, past
-
calculating
present participle
-
to make a computation or form an estimate.
-
to count or rely (usually followed by on orupon ).
They calculated on good weather.
verb
-
to solve (one or more problems) by a mathematical procedure; compute
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to determine beforehand by judgment, reasoning, etc; estimate
-
(tr; usually passive) to design specifically; aim
the car was calculated to appeal to women
-
(intr; foll by on or upon) to depend; rely
-
dialect (tr; may take a clause as object)
-
to suppose; think
-
to intend (to do something)
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
calculatesimple
-
calculatessimple
-
have calculatedperfect
-
has calculatedperfect
-
am calculatingprogressive
-
are calculatingprogressive
-
is calculatingprogressive
-
have been calculatingperfect progressive
-
has been calculatingperfect progressive
Past
-
calculatedsimple
-
had calculatedperfect
-
was calculatingprogressive
-
were calculatingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Pi Day Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
China doesn’t publish the size of its strategic oil reserves or reveal its oil consumption, forcing analysts to calculate “apparent demand” by adding up official refinery throughput and net imports of refined oil products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
You might quibble with how we calculate the time value of money — i.e., what is the value today of a dollar paid in 1984, and so on — but overall, the figures are correct.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
In a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of California renters, lawyers alleged that Conservice’s policy was to deny tenants the right to view specific bills or formulas used to calculate their individual charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Fundamental particles such as electrons are instead described by a "wavefunction," a mathematical representation that researchers can use to calculate the probabilities of properties such as position and momentum.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
They learned to wind film into the camera, how to compose a photo, how to calculate the proper aperture and width.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
At the $25 million transaction price in Capstone shares, Hutchison calculates that Capstone paid less than a cent per pound for the copper resources alone, excluding by-product credits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The most expensive purchase, she calculates, were the windows at £30,000, while one of the cheapest measures was making the whole house airtight, which cost £5,000.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
In his weekly “Flow Show” strategy note published Friday, Hartnett calculates that the cost of servicing the interest on that debt has reached $1.5 trillion yearly.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The bank calculates that households are sitting on $68 billion to $167 billion of potential equity investment capacity through the first quarter of next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Brainvox calculates sixteen possible paths for the iron to follow through Phineas's head.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
That is the calculated risk United have taken.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Moyeen Islam, a Barclays fixed-income strategist, last week calculated the tight correlation between U.S. and U.K. 30-year yields since 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The prosecution, on the other hand, argues Clancy made a calculated, intentional decision to kill them and knew right from wrong in that moment.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Now, as AI agents become more widely adopted, it remains a matter of debate whether the technology’s ROI can be clearly calculated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Or, as cynical as it may sound, his possible acceptance of Catholicism may have been merely a theological chess game, a tactic and long-term strategy that he calculated might lead to eternal salvation.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Depending on who is doing the calculating, whether or not an Omen occurred on a given day can vary.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
You can test how “nicely” a function moves everything around in space by calculating something called the Jacobian determinant.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
The state director of finance is responsible for calculating the adjusted minimum wage on or before Aug. 1 each year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Only after calculating the probability to be zero did he conduct his experiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But Brian took a minute to scan the map once more and do some mental calculating, and it didn’t come up too terrible.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
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.
