reckoning

noun reck·on·ing \ ˈre-kə-niŋ , ˈrek-niŋ \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Examples: reckoning in a Sentence

Definition of reckoning

1 : the act or an instance of reckoning: such as

a : account, bill

b : computation

c : calculation of a ship's position

2 : a settling of accounts

day of reckoning

3 : a summing up

See reckoning defined for English-language learners

See reckoning defined for kids

Examples of reckoning in a Sentence

I was more than off in my reckoning.
When the day of reckoning comes, we will have to face some unpleasant truths.
Our football team hardly comes into the reckoning.
Because of his injury, he is out of the reckoning.
The team is still in the reckoning.

Recent Examples of reckoning from the Web

Microsoft has become the latest company dragged into the tech industry’s ethical reckoning over the use of its products by government agencies.

— nitasha tiku, WIRED, "Microsoft's Ethical Reckoning Is Here," 18 June 2018
That reckoning spoke not only to Philbin’s aesthetic but to a provocative instinct that art should define its era, challenge its politics and resonate with a truth that can startle and illuminate.

— jeffrey fleishman, latimes.com, "Ann Philbin and the art of the provocative are thriving at the Hammer Museum," 15 June 2018
But for Mitchell, this was also a time for reckoning.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Joni Mitchell, Liz Phair and the musical blueprint for #MeToo," 14 June 2018
At this year's James Beard Foundation Awards — the Oscars of food, as they're known — women and chefs of color took home a historic number of awards in a reckoning not unlike the one that swept through the actual Oscars last year.

— mark kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Temporary Dream Cafe in Detroit brings social justice to the table," 13 June 2018
Throughout, The Staircase maintains a limpid clarity that leaves open the possibility of both Michael Peterson’s perfect innocence and total complicity, which puts the viewer in the awful, fugue-like gray area of constant reckoning.

— sonia saraiya, HWD, "Review: Whether Old or New, The Staircase Offers No Easy Answers," 8 June 2018
Even before #MeToo prompted a reckoning among women over abuse, harassment, and gender discrimination, the pageant‘s ratings were down in both 2017 and 2016.

— michelle ruiz, Vogue, "Can the Miss America Pageant Be Saved?," 5 June 2018
Whatever its level, that number needs to be fed into a reckoning of the costs and benefits of speed.

— The Economist, "France’s contentious speed-limit reduction is a model for others," 2 June 2018
An Indictment of The #MeToo Movement's Reach After Harvey Weinstein’s ousting in the fall and the subsequent explosion of the #MeToo movement, Woody Allen had a second reckoning.

— rebecca farley, refinery29.com, "Inside Moses Farrow's Defense Of Woody Allen, Accusations Against Mia Farrow," 24 May 2018

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

First Known Use of reckoning

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

reckoning Synonyms

Synonyms

appraisal, appraisement, assessment, estimate, estimation, evaluation, valuation;

Related Words

calculation, computation, measurement;

audit, check, checkup, examination, inspection, review, scan, scrutiny, survey;

reassessment, transvaluation;

overestimation, overevaluation;

underestimation;

RECKONING Defined for English Language Learners

reckoning

noun

Definition of reckoning for English Language Learners

: the act of calculating the amount of something
: the time when your actions are judged as good or bad and you are rewarded or punished
: the act of judging something