reckoning

1 of 2

noun

reck·​on·​ing ˈre-kə-niŋ 

ˈrek-niŋ

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

reckoning

2 of 2

present participle of reckon

Synonyms of reckoning

Noun

• assessment
• estimate
• appraisal
• estimation
• evaluation
• appraisement
• examination
• calculation

Examples of reckoning in a Sentence

Noun

I was more than $10 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 on the Web

Noun

The backlash — the reckoning, as some called it — led to a wave of corporate soul-searching that led to the demise of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, and a public declaration that Black lives mattered. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

The nationwide racial reckoning led Florida to review the chant and ultimately end it. — Matt Baker, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

The public reckonings with these figures’ legacies—the troubled former child star gone too soon, the beloved icon, the cult favorite, the complicated eccentric—have come in a cascade. — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

There are performances that feel like a reckoning, and performances that feel like a resurrection. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reckoning

• by someone's reckoning
• dead reckoning
• hour of reckoning

Rhymes for reckoning

• beckoning

Kids Definition

reckoning

noun

reck·​on·​ing

1

: the act or an instance of calculating

2

: a settling of accounts

day of reckoning