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

Stepping back from month-to-month noise, economists reckon the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough available young people to deliver much job growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Ben's prediction: Palace lost 3-0 to City home and away last season, but I reckon they will nab a goal this time.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

After a mediocre launch last month, the analysts reckon that gamers’ biggest complaints include a steep learning curve at first, substantial time required for gameplay and not enough in-game rewards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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

“Nope. There’s nothing wrong with me but old age. And I reckon that will take care of itself eventually.”

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

The outlook is supported by recovering RF demand and rapid growth in photonics revenue, which could double to about 200 million ringgit in FY 2027 as AI data-center demand rises, he reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Fortis shareholders acceptance is also likely to remain limited as Fortis is trading well above the original INR170/share offer price, he reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

In fact, Klein reckons that the increased probability markets now attach to a Fed hike in September after the hawkish commentary from Chair Kevin Warsh last Friday, is “mostly good news.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Overly glib or sarcastic messages can get you into trouble, even if they are funny, reckons Paul Fitzsimmons, head of sales and marketing at law firm Wilford Smith.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

“Ron reckons I should just hang back after Potions this afternoon...”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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

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

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

The way the government people reckoned a child’s age was to ask him to lift his arm, reach over the top of his head, and touch his opposite ear.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

In the quieter moments, Malkovich lets us see Chris reckoning with a life spent doing his country’s dirty work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

"It's extremely challenging for post-conflict societies to undertake a national reckoning or acknowledge responsibility for the crimes of the past."

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Colleges across America are reckoning with the demographic cliff as the pipeline of 18-year-olds dwindles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

They used dead reckoning and followed coastlines as far as they could.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• calculate
• look upon
• take account of