recalculate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recalculate
Explanation
To recalculate is to count or measure something again, using new information. You might need to recalculate your monthly budget after your landlord raises the rent. If the vet says your cat is getting too fat, you'll have to recalculate how much you feed him to help him lose weight. And when you're planning a dinner party and your brother announces he's bringing five friends, you'll need to recalculate how much food to make. We can trace the verb calculate back to the Latin calculus, originally "pebble used as a reckoning counter." The prefix re- adds the sense of "do it again."
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:
Then the programs recalculate the growth rate of what’s left of your nest egg as you spend it down faster than you had originally intended.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
However, defense attorneys of those convicted must file a request for the Supreme Court to recalculate the terms of sentence reductions on a case-by-case basis.
From Barron's ● May 9, 2026
“Anyone who’s counting for a quick recovery, even if there is a total end of hostilities, will need to recalculate that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Equinor was required to recalculate the "full impact" of the field and it now estimates that it will contribute an additional 249 million tonnes of the planet warming gas CO2 over the next 25 years.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
The major business of the evening, in all likelihood, was an agreement to recalculate Virginia's debt and corresponding share of the enlarged federal debt.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The value of their bedroom as well as any income and assets their family may have will be calculated and recalculated as often as every month and deducted from their SSI check.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
One customer order could be subject to three different tariff rates depending on the products purchased—and that payment now has to be recalculated, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
As a result, her annual property taxes would be recalculated based on the FMV at the time of your death.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2025
After gameweek five, Opta recalculated and said 16 points would now give teams an 87% chance of a top-eight finish.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2025
When I recalculated, I came up with the same result.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds by recalculating the initial duties importers paid, excluding the tariffs voided by the high court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Like yesterday’s jobs report, the January CPI report will be a bit harder to read than usual due to the bureau recalculating seasonal adjustments to align with price movements throughout the past year.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
The Inspector General’s office determined the agency’s telephone customer-service data was accurate after recalculating monthly performance metrics, the report said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025
“We haven’t got the mental space to be recalculating transportation options,” Clark said, shrugging.
From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2024
While translating and recalculating the tables, Dionysius did a little research on the side; he realized that he could figure out just when Jesus Christ was born.
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.
