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

see also:

reckon with reckon without

Synonyms of reckon

• estimate
• guess
• calculate
• suppose
• figure
• make

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

Other analysts, though, are more sanguine, reckoning that the allies can instead simply seize Iranian oil tankers. —Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026

Nonetheless, Ebony Alert proposals invite a broader reckoning with how race-neutral systems can produce racially unequal outcomes. —Itay Ravid, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026

What nobody fully reckoned with was that this assumption would become permanently embedded in law, transforming what was meant as a neutral accounting convention into a tool that could make structurally insolvent legislation appear fiscally responsible on paper. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026

Shraya’s work enters the conversation through a different framework, instead, centering self-healing as the lens to reckon with her own fraught relationship to men and manhood. —Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026

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
• reckon with
• reckon without

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