reckon

verb reck·on \ ˈre-kən \

Updated on: 10 Dec 2017

Definition of reckon

reckoned; reckoning play \ˈre-kə-niŋ, ˈrek-niŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : count

reckon the days till Christmas

b : estimate, compute

reckon the height of a building

c : to determine by reference to a fixed basis

the existence of the U.S. is reckoned from the Declaration of Independence

2 : to regard or think of as : consider

3 chiefly dialectal : think, suppose

I reckon I've outlived my time
—Ellen Glasgow

intransitive verb

1 : to settle accounts

2 : to make a calculation

3 a : judge

b chiefly dialectal : suppose, think

4 : to accept something as certain : place reliance

I reckon on your promise to help

— reckon with

: to take into consideration

— reckon without

: to fail to consider : ignore

See reckon defined for English-language learners

See reckon defined for kids

Examples of reckon in a Sentence

I reckon that we'll have to leave early.
Do you reckon you'll be able to go to the grocery store after work?
We'll have to leave early, I reckon.
They reckoned that they would reach their destination by noon.
Losses were reckoned to be over a million dollars.

Recent Examples of reckon from the Web

Some within the industry are now reckoning with the role HR plays in addressing—or preventing—workplace harassment.

— rebecca greenfield, Bloomberg.com, "Why HR Doesn’t Always Protect Harassment Victims," 30 Oct. 2017
For over two decades, Toni Braxton was a force to be reckoned with.

— mark elibert, The Hollywood Reporter, "Soul Train Awards: Host Erykah Badu Calls Out Weinstein, Trump's NFL Feud," 27 Nov. 2017
But Shearer also reckons that manager Wenger's inability to walk away from the club after 22 years is a sign of the club's lack of ambition.

— SI.com, "Alan Shearer Makes Scathing Assessment on Arsene Wenger and His Wantaway Stars," 16 Oct. 2017
Under Tilberis, Bazaar was once again a creative force to be reckoned with.

— stephen mooallem, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Legend of Liz Tilberis —One of Bazaar’s Best," 13 Oct. 2017
Jaylen Washington continues to be a force to be reckoned with for the Tigers (7-2), who knocked off Western Boone 32-29.

— matthew vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "Extra Point: 5 takeaways from Week 9 of high school football," 13 Oct. 2017
Germany and the West are increasingly reckoning with subversive forces from beyond their borders that put government agencies, critical infrastructure, and companies under threat.

— sumi somaskanda, The Atlantic, "The Cyber Threat To Germany's Elections Is Very Real," 20 Sep. 2017
Cable and traditional television are still forces to be reckoned with, though.

— reuters, Fortune, "Netflix and Amazon Are Both on Hiring Sprees to Find the Next ‘Game of Thrones’," 15 Sep. 2017
With the storm now lashing the United States, Barbudans are trying to reckon with the enormous project of rebuilding.

— tara john / antigua, Time, "'There Is No Home to Go Back to.' Hurricane Irma Flattens Barbuda, Leaving a Population Stranded," 11 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reckon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of reckon

Middle English rekenen, from Old English -recenian (as in gerecenian to narrate); akin to Old English reccan

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

reckon Synonyms

Synonyms

calculate, call, conjecture, figure, gauge (also gage), guess, judge, make, place, put, estimate, suppose

Related Words

conclude, deduce, extrapolate, gather, infer, reason, understand

Near Antonyms

calibrate, measure, scale; compute, work out

RECKON Defined for English Language Learners

reckon

verb

Definition of reckon for English Language Learners

: to think or suppose (something) : to believe that (something) is true or possible
: to calculate or guess (an amount, number, value, etc.) : to have or form a general idea about (something)
: to think of (someone or something) as being something specified