calculation

noun

cal·cu·la·tion | \ ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən

Definition of calculation

1a : the process or an act of calculating

b : the result of an act of calculating

2a : studied care in analyzing or planning

b : cold heartless planning to promote self-interest

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Examples of calculation in a Sentence

According to experts' calculations, that star will explode within two billion years. The computer can do millions of calculations each second. Careful calculation is required to determine the required amount of fuel. The book reveals the cold calculations that were behind the government's policies. His positions are based on political calculation of what voters want to hear.

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s worse, performing this calculation gets exponentially harder the more cities are added to the route. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "A Single Cell Hints at a Solution to the Biggest Problem in Computer Science," 27 Dec. 2018 Some calculations predict that there could be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish by 2050. — Tabor Wordelman, Teen Vogue, "You Can't Just "Clean Up" the Plastic in the Ocean. Here's Why.," 18 Dec. 2018 Heavy rains, however, can upend the city’s sewage calculations. — Winnie Hu, The Seattle Times, "What happens when 25,000 Amazon workers flush toilets?," 11 Dec. 2018 The Trump team’s calculation appears to be that foreign countries have no choice but to trade with the world’s largest economy and will ultimately have to yield... — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Voters already fear economic pain from Trump's trade war," 9 July 2018 There are also other costs of climate change not taken into consideration by the calculations, such as costs incurred by incoming climate refugees and impacts due to trade. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Climate Change May Cost the U.S. More Than Almost Any Other Country," 1 Oct. 2018 The company has announced that starting in spring 2019, its 10-floor flagship store will undergo an extensive renovation that's set to take three years and cost at as much as $250 million, according to Bloomberg calculations. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "The Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue Flagship Will Undergo a Massive Renovation," 16 Aug. 2018 In virtual currency mining, computers are used to make the complex calculations that verify a running ledger of all the transactions in virtual currencies around the world. — Robert Stevens, chicagotribune.com, "How your smart fridge and TV might be mining bitcoin for criminals," 4 July 2018 If that doesn’t happen soon, Trump will have to make a political calculation. — Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "Tough talk or a trade war? Many US firms frozen in suspense.," 29 June 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near calculation

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Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for calculation

The first known use of calculation was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for calculation

calculation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of calculation

: a process or result of calculating something

: careful thought and planning that is done usually for selfish reasons

See the full definition for calculation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

calculation

noun

cal·cu·la·tion | \ ˌkal-kyə-ˈlā-shən

Kids Definition of calculation

: the process or result of adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing Careful calculation is required. Our calculations indicate a slight increase.