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

When Lestat is made to reckon with what’s presented as “failures” in both his mortal and immortal lives, he can’t quite own up to being a true monster, because that’s not what he really is.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Now he has to reckon with what he’s done.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

They reckon that the likelihood of material cuts to transfer pricing compounds a weakening volume outlook due to higher interest rates and changes to capital gains tax.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Here is the risk you need to reckon with first.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Well, folks,” said Grandpa, taking aholt of her elbow, “I reckon we best mosey on home now. Hit’s been a long fancy day.”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

However, subdued domestic demand and well-anchored inflation expectations should help limit broader price pressures, he reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Still, she reckons the recent decline is more likely a temporary repricing process, rather than the beginning of a prolonged bear market for the yellow metal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

May reckons she has saved about £5,000-£8,000 through swaps in places like Barcelona and the Swiss Alps.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Julius Baer sees room for gold prices to regain lost ground, as the Swiss private bank reckons the Fed is unlikely to raise its interest rates while the dollar could weaken.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Neal Brose got seven, or so he reckons.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Combine these suspicions with his all-consuming grief and you can see why Swire is such a force to be reckoned with on his quest for a truth he believes has been denied to him.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Moyers asked Brennan if he reckoned that the Framers intended to insulate justices “from the pressures of politics so that you could follow the light of reason?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

Speaking to The Times about the tune, Diamond reckoned he “said more in less words than in any other song I’ve ever written.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

The inspector-general’s office reckoned that thousands of widows and widowers may also have missed out on more than $100 million in benefits through claiming errors that they should have been advised against.

From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026

At first we reckoned they tried out different diseases and medicines, but there’d be no reason to start that all of a sudden two or three years back.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

But many women say another reckoning played out online.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Japan has not sold off its Treasury bondholdings, no Treasury auction has failed, and people have predicted a Japanese debt reckoning for 30 years while being wrong every single time.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

The strikes earlier this month reflect Arab reckoning with a lengthy war that threatens to draw them in even more deeply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

I would add that the Salinger myth also delayed a reckoning with his most famous character’s mental health.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

By any reckoning these fits were nothing like those she had suffered in her youth.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• calculate
• look upon
• take account of