calculation
Americannoun
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calculations
plural
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the act or process of calculating; computation.
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the result or product of calculation.
His calculations agree with ours.
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an estimate based on the known facts; forecast.
Her calculation of the building costs proved quite accurate.
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forethought; prior or careful planning.
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scheming selfishness.
noun
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the act, process, or result of calculating
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an estimation of probability; forecast
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careful planning or forethought, esp for selfish motives
Synonym Usage
See prudence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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precalculationnoun
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calculationaladjective
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calculativeadjective
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calculatoryadjective
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noncalculativeadjective
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uncalculativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of calculation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin calculātiōn- (stem of calculātiō “reckoning”). See calculate, -ion
Explanation
Calculation is the act of calculating, which is using math or logic to figure out a problem. If your calculation is correct, then you can wear you sister’s favorite dress and put it back before she gets home. A calculation is a careful, thought-out activity. The first kind of calculation involves figuring out the answer to a problem in math — the kind you might use a calculator for. Calculation also refers to using logic to figure out a non-numerical problem. If you have a difficult decision to make — like deciding what college to attend — calculation is your friend. That kind of calculation is to thoroughly think something through and make plans.
Vocabulary lists containing calculation
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
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Number and Operations in Base Ten
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Week 4: Now We Know
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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:
That process can take considerable time, and every additional cycle creates another opportunity for outside disturbances to interfere with the calculation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
The benchmark rate moved up to 7.07% on Thursday, according to the daily calculation from Mortgage News Daily, returning to the 7% mark that it had dropped below in May 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
My calculation assumes that nonsurviving funds were behind the S&P 500 at the time they stopped existing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
"It's the mathematical calculation of the crash," Jodi Westbrook Flowers, a member of the 9/11 families' legal team, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
In Kirkby’s calculation, the harvest broke the magic two- hundred-pound line sometime between 2000 and 1500 B.C.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
These models don’t make decisions; they carry out millions of probability calculations and pick the best one to answer the prompts they’re given.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
You can do your own calculations using your own state income-tax rate and local income-tax rate if you are subject to one.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Mortgage rates, for example, aren’t included in the Labor Department’s consumer price calculations, and those rates are substantially higher than before the pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The letter does not detail the statistical model used to make the calculations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“It means,” said Baaz, “that it will be added to your debts. By my own quick calculations, you should be able to pay it back in approximately thirty-five years, precluding interest.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
