reckoning

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

Synonyms of reckoning

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

Examples of reckoning in a Sentence

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

What should feel destabilizing is rendered manageable, familiar, and easily consumed—becoming fodder for late night television rather than collective reckoning. —Debbie Millman, Time, 7 Jan. 2026

Had the country remained coalesced around the accurate original understanding of January 6—that American citizens had been lied to about the 2020 election by the president and had attempted to sack the Capitol partly at his instigation—Webster might have been forced into a reckoning. —Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026

This path would protect vulnerable New Yorkers from a future fiscal reckoning and strengthen the state’s economic competitiveness. —Andrew Rein, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026

For Hollywood in particular, the year’s events prompted the biggest reckoning yet with AI, which permeated the industry with the promise of efficiency and new artistic horizons but also threats to longstanding business practices. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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