reckoning

[ rek-uh-ning ]

/ ˈrɛk ə nɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reckoning ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

count; computation; calculation.

the settlement of accounts, as between two companies.

a statement of an amount due; bill.

an accounting, as for things received or done.

an appraisal or judgment.

Navigation. dead reckoning.

day of reckoning.

Nearby words

Origin of reckoning

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at reckon, -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR reckoning

4. judgment, retribution.

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Related formspre·reck·on·ing, nounself-reck·on·ing, adjective, noun

reckon

[ rek-uhn ]

/ ˈrɛk ən /

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.

Origin of reckon

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

SYNONYMS FOR reckon

1. enumerate. 2. account, deem, estimate, judge.

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Related forms

reck·on·a·ble, adjectiveout·reck·on, 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for reckoning

The day of reckoning has arrived not just in Ferguson, Missouri, but also across America.
Justice Was Served in Ferguson—This Isn’t Jim Crow America|Ron Christie|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What should have been a moment of reckoning for a selfish, serial liar instead ended with us pitying him.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Self Help’: A Grim Show Displays Its Comedy Streak, and A Major Reveal|Melissa Leon|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Regardless of how talented or athletic or smart the people are, death seems to be the reckoning that will eventually come.
The High-Flying Secrets of BASE Jumpers|William O’Connor|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Oh, and no truth to the rumor that director Michael Bay has since optioned a script titled Hotelicopter: The Reckoning.
5 Epic April Fool’s Day Pranks|Bill Schulz|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the cold hard numbers that Korb advances foreshadow a day of reckoning, just not yet.
The H.M.O. That Kills Terrorists|Eleanor Clift|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But, however long the day of reckoning may be put off, some time or other the payment must be made.
Creative Evolution|Henri Bergson
But the school of Bodhidharma continues the series, reckoning him as the twenty-eighth, and the first of the Chinese Patriarchs.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)|Charles Eliot
In which they keep the account of their Corn, reckoning by Ommounas.
An Historical Relation Of The Island Ceylon In The East Indies|Robert Knox
Quite possibly we would speak of these events as occurring in a very brief time, perhaps an instant of our reckoning.
Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation|S. D. Gordon
Evidently they do not cut a straight line from the farm, but slant a little, unless our reckoning was a bit off.
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers|Claude A. Labelle

British Dictionary definitions for reckoning

reckoning

/ (ˈrɛkənɪŋ) /

noun

the act of counting or calculating

settlement of an account or bill

a bill or account

retribution for one's actions (esp in the phrase day of reckoning)

nautical short for dead reckoning

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

Word Origin and History for reckoning

reckoning

early 14c., "narrative, account," verbal noun from reckon (v.). Meaning "a settling of accounts" is from mid-14c.; that of "calculation" is from late 14c. Cf. Dutch rekening "a bill, account, reckoning," Old High German rechenunga, German rechnung, Danish regning "a reckoning, computation." Day of reckoning attested from c.1600.

reckon

c.1200, recenen, from Old English gerecenian "to explain, relate, recount," from West Germanic *(ga)rekenojanan (cf. Old Frisian rekenia, Middle Dutch and Dutch rekenen, Old High German rehhanon, German rechnen, Gothic rahnjan "to count, reckon"), from Proto-Germanic *rakinaz "ready, straightforward," from PIE *reg- "to move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "direct in a straight line, rule" (see regal).

Intransitive sense "make a computation" is from c.1300. In I reckon, the sense is "hold an impression or opinion," and the expression, used parenthetically, dates from c.1600 and formerly was in literary use (Richardson, etc.), but came to be associated with U.S. Southern dialect and was regarded as provincial or vulgar. Related: Reckoned; reckoning.

Idioms and Phrases with reckoning

reckon

In addition to the idiom beginning with reckon

reckon with

also see:

force to be reckoned with

reckoning

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of reckoning

reckon

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of reckon

Examples from the Web for reckoning

reckoning

noun

reckon

verb

Word Origin for reckon

reckoning

reckon

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