reckon

verb

reck·​on ˈre-kən 

reckoned; reckoning 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

Phrases

reckon with

: to take into consideration

reckon without

: to fail to consider : ignore

Synonyms

• calculate
• call
• conjecture
• estimate
• figure
• gauge
• gage
• guess
• judge
• make
• place
• put
• suppose

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 on the Web

Klein and Thompson also fail to fully reckon with the feasibility of their vision. —Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025

In provinces like Tehran, Kerman, and Isfahan, where a lot of industrial and agricultural activity takes place, scientists reckon land is subsiding at rates of more than 30cm a year, wrecking pipelines, drainage systems and other vital infrastructure. —Sanam Mahoozi, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025

In Apartment Starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as two married intelligence agents who must reckon with both interpersonal and international stakes, the Focus Features two-hander will seemingly just break even at the box office. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 19 Apr. 2025

Bloom & Rage is a coming-of-age story that takes the time to reckon with characters’ actions in the past from a place of reflection, giving them the opportunity to amend past mistakes and try to piece together broken bonds lost to time. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing reckon

• a force to reckon with
• a man/woman/person to reckon with
• reckon on
• reckon up

Rhymes for reckon

• beckon

Kids Definition

reckon

verb

reck·​on ˈrek-ən 

reckoned; reckoning -(ə-)niŋ 

1

a

: count entry 1 sense 1a, compute

reckon the days till her birthday

b

: to estimate by calculating

reckon the height of a building

2

: consider sense 3, regard

was reckoned among the leaders

3

chiefly dialect : think sense 2, suppose

4

: to look forward to as certain : depend

reckon on support

reckoner

-(ə-)nər

noun