dead reckoning

noun

Definition of dead reckoningnext
as in theory

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dead reckoning The principle is a very old and simple one called dead reckoning – a very basic skill used by tyro sailors and nuclear submarine commanders. — New Atlas, 2 Dec. 2025 But for longitude, navigators had to rely on dead reckoning that was subject to errors. — Tim Bajarin, Forbes, 28 Apr. 2021 There is also straightforward dead reckoning and inertial navigation. — The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2021 The vehicle could still work out position updates using rotary encoders attached to its wheels—following a general strategy that sailors used for centuries, called dead reckoning. — Shaoshan Liu, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead reckoning
  1. theory
  2. speculation
  3. hypothetical
  4. hypothesis
  5. thesis
  6. guessing
Noun
  • Their goal was to test the leading theory, first put forward in the 1980s, that turbulence — the irregular motion of air currents in the atmosphere — caused shadow bands.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Zahary emphasized that LLMs, in his experience, have been valuable in assisting humans in developing new theories or finding answers to problems.
    — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of theory
Noun
  • The Netherlands international only moved to the Etihad Stadium a year ago but his future is the subject of speculation following the arrival of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest earlier this summer.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As engagement-farming social-media accounts like Pop Base and celebrity-gossip accounts such as Deuxmoi still post frequent updates of celebrity sightings and speculation, the type of blanketing gossip press that Hilton introduced now spares no one.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of speculation
Noun
  • There’s no reason to believe organizers of PGA tournaments, marathons, NASCAR races and similar sporting would ever demand payment, and thus the hypotheticals are arguably scare tactics rather than realistic consequences.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 July 2026
  • His second-guessing doesn’t stanch his inner torrent of bile, which continues through dinner with Irène and her mother, and goes on for another fifteen pages of emotional hypotheticals and conditionals.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
Definition of hypothetical
Noun
  • British astronomer Arthur Eddington knew that, under Einstein’s hypothesis, the sun should bend the light of other stars.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Eusebius of Caesarea, who attended the First Council of Nicaea, described the meeting as taking place in a small church — a detail that Şahin said supports his hypothesis.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of hypothesis
Noun
  • The problem was that thesis got derailed by a temporary loss of momentum in AI stocks – and that derailment was magnified by leverage, which magnifies both gains and losses.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The result became Cohen’s thesis and earned him an assistant professorship at New York University at the age of 25.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of thesis
Noun
  • All that guessing will create herding and noise trading as the crowd chases the crowd like a dog chases its tail, in a futile attempt to get ahead of the next unpredictable change in what humors the Big Player.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to being a fun interactive guessing game, the company said the cookie lover who guesses the flavor correctly will win a $25,000 grand prize.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of guessing

Browse Nearby Words

dead presidents
dead reckoning
dead reckonings
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Cite this Entry

“Dead reckoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20reckoning. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dead reckoning

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dead reckoning

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