a force to be reckoned with

noun phrase

: someone who is strong and cannot be ignored

When he won his first three matches, the other players realized that he was a force to be reckoned with.

Examples of a force to be reckoned with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Michigan continued to turn the screws on the Volunteers, running up the score and in the process sending a message to the remaining teams that Big Blue will be a force to be reckoned with at the Final Four in Indianapolis. —Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026

And Beulah is a force to be reckoned with. —Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026

But even casual high school boys basketball fans in the western suburbs recognize the Wolves as a force to be reckoned with by going toe-to-toe against top programs in the state under the direction of Velasquez, who is stepping down for some very good personal reasons. —Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026

Then bad weather — a force to be reckoned with in Greenland, no matter the time of year — caused dozens of other cancellations. —Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2026