reckon

[ rek-uhn ]

/ ˈrɛk ən /

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See synonyms for: reckon / reckoned / reckoning on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to count, compute, or calculate, as in number or amount.

to esteem or consider; regard as: to be reckoned an authority in the field.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to think or suppose.

verb (used without object)

to count; make a computation or calculation.

to settle accounts, as with a person (often followed by up).

to count, depend, or rely, as in expectation (often followed by on).

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to think or suppose.

Verb Phrases

reckon with,

to include in consideration or planning; anticipate: He hadn't reckoned with so many obstacles.
to deal with: I have to reckon with many problems every day.

OTHER WORDS FOR reckon

1 enumerate.

2 account, deem, estimate, judge.

See synonyms for reckon on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of reckon

before 1000; Middle English rekenen,Old English gerecenian (attested once) to report, pay; cognate with German rechnen to compute

OTHER WORDS FROM reckon

reck·on·a·ble, adjectiveoutreckon, verb (used with object)pre·reck·on, verb (used with object)un·der·reck·on, verb (used with object)

un·reck·on, verb (used with object)un·reck·on·a·ble, adjectiveun·reck·oned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use reckon in a sentence

A former contestant on Last Comic Standing, Rodriguez is also a commentator on The Young Turks and an unmistakable voice to be reckoned with.
Real Talk, Real Change|Daniel Malloy|November 17, 2020|Ozy
They reckon they can get the testing time down from five minutes—which is how long it takes with their initial processing method—to mere seconds with the technique they are now developing.
Want to bring back major sports events and concerts? The answer may lie in a mouthwash test for COVID|David Meyer|November 14, 2020|Fortune
In their effort to improve diversity, inclusion, and equity in much more meaningful, intersectional ways than before, organizations are deeply reckoning with the gap between intentions and progress.
Improving inclusion is more about allowing failure than rewarding success|lbelanger225|November 11, 2020|Fortune
It’s about time to reckon with just how to treat an undefeated Brigham Young team that keeps clobbering everyone on its path.
College football winners and losers for Week 10: Florida is fun again and Georgia is done|Patrick Stevens|November 8, 2020|Washington Post

Dashmir Farizi, co-owner of the Punto e Virgola pizzeria in Berlin’s Schöneberg district, reckons that leaves him with about a quarter of his previous trade.
As COVID spreads across Europe, a weary continent goes back into lockdown|David Meyer|November 7, 2020|Fortune
They were there to put on a show and deliver a message: behold, we are a technological power with which to be reckoned!
Sony Hack: A Dictator Move?|Kevin Bleyer|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I think he had something to prove that he on his own was a force to be reckoned with.
This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art|Scott Porch|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the band grew and grew and we were a force to be reckoned with as a concept.
George Clinton on Industry ‘Mobsters’ and How Nobody Wants to Listen to a Crackhead|Curtis Stephen|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, the Know-Nothings were briefly a force to be reckoned with.
A Brief History of Wingnuts in America; From George Washington to Woodstock|John Avlon|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In sunny regions, the company reckoned, solar energy could account for about 80 percent of the energy needed for oil recovery.
Renewables Can Make Fossil Fuel More Efficient|The Daily Beast|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To every four or five blacks may be reckoned a mulatto, and it is only here and there that a white man is to be seen.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Korean women are reckoned of little importance and take no part in social and family affairs.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Secretly she had reckoned upon that, as upon something that was certain, something for which she had only to wait.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
The doing of duty to our neighbour and to ourselves, cannot be reckoned as the fulfilment of our obligations to God.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
It is reckoned a great delicacy, but, for my own part, I found its flesh rather dry.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for reckon

reckon

/ (ˈrɛkən) /

verb

to calculate or ascertain by calculating; compute

(tr) to include; count as part of a set or classI reckon her with the angels

(usually passive) to consider or regardhe is reckoned clever

(when tr, takes a clause as object) to think or suppose; be of the opinionI reckon you don't know where to go next

(intr foll by with) to settle accounts (with)

(intr ; foll by with or without) to take into account or fail to take into accountthe bully reckoned without John's big brother

(intr ; foll by on or upon) to rely or dependI reckon on your support in this crisis

(tr) slang to regard as goodI don't reckon your chances of success

(tr) informal to have a high opinion ofshe was sensitive to bad reviews, even from people she did not reckon

to be reckoned with of considerable importance or influence

Word Origin for reckon

Old English (ge) recenian recount; related to Old Frisian rekenia, Old High German rehhanón to count

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with reckon

reckon

In addition to the idiom beginning with reckon

reckon with

also see:

force to be reckoned with

reckon

OTHER WORDS FOR reckon

Origin of reckon

OTHER WORDS FROM reckon

Words related to reckon

How to use reckon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reckon

Word Origin for reckon

Other Idioms and Phrases with reckon