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

Etymology

Origin of reckon

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

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

The mainstreaming of Lean and the inroads made by LLMs have forced mathematicians for the first time in more than a century to reckon with the fundamentals of their field.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

House of Representatives lays out a long-awaited proposal on how to reckon with California’s poisoned marine environment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Palm oil output could remain under pressure from dry weather and wildfires, while low water levels could disrupt coal transportation and nickel production in near term, they reckon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

But like it or not, he must learn to reckon with the heightened expectations and speculation that comes with simply being good at his current job.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

I reckon Miss Love was pure starved for company, because when we got to the front veranda, she sat down in the swing, patted the cushion beside her, and said come sit a while.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Nomura reckons the industry has entered the knockout stage this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

While he can’t call it one way or another, Bianco reckons that being paid 5.25%

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

He reckons he can make a go of it, cutting the cost of parking and overheads, resetting rents and being more nimble than previous far-flung owners.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

As an ex-teacher, Jenner reckons she has no fears appearing before politicians in Cardiff Bay.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

“Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels; she reckons we’ve got to find treasure.”

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

A builder I chatted to at the gym reckoned they would be useful on sites for recording what he was doing, either in the event of an accident or even to teach others new skills.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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

Blue-collar workers globally have reckoned with growing levels of automation, from mechanized arms welding sheet metal to mixing paint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Instead, that position was filled by Mikhail Glinka, whose operas A Life for the Tsar and Ruslan and Lyudmila had firmly established Tsarist Russia as a musical force to be reckoned with in the 1830s.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

And though Cassie’s extracurricular pursuits echo that cultural reckoning, some distance reveals that “Promising Young Woman” is less about justice than protection.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

“It’s sort of a reckoning coming: Jet fuel’s up, diesel’s up, consumers are a bit squeezed,” Ferguson said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Over the past week, a global reckoning about the risks of artificial intelligence spread from the frontier labs of Silicon Valley to living rooms across America and the corridors of power in Washington and Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Communications Minister Anika Wells said big tech was facing a "reckoning".

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Don’t mention it. The town is headed for a reckoning, and I have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better.”

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• calculate
• look upon
• take account of