reckon
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to think or believe that something is true or will happen.
v.to believe, suppose, or expect something to be the case. Frequently used in British and Australian English to introduce a clause.
Simple“I reckon it will rain later today, so you should take an umbrella.”
In context“Most of the locals reckon that the new bypass will actually increase traffic congestion rather than solve the town's gridlock issues.”
UsageOften followed by a 'that' clause, though 'that' is frequently omitted in speech.
- 02 C1 Advanced
v.to calculate or figure out a number or amount.
v.to calculate, compute, or determine an amount or number through mathematical means.
Simple“The total cost was reckoned at over five hundred dollars.”
In context“The final damages were reckoned to be in the millions, once the full extent of the structural failure was assessed by the engineers.”
UsageOften used in financial or technical contexts regarding totals.
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to consider someone or something to be a certain way.
v.to consider or regard someone or something as being a particular thing or having a particular quality.
Simple“He was reckoned among the best writers of his time.”
In context“In the annals of maritime history, she is reckoned one of the most daring explorers to have ever navigated the southern passages.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to deal with a difficult person or situation that you cannot ignore.
v.to take something into account or to deal with a powerful person or force.
Simple“If you break the rules, you will have to reckon with the manager.”
In context“The campaign failed because the organisers did not reckon with the sheer scale of public opposition to the proposed tax hikes.”
UsageUsed as a phrasal verb 'reckon with'.
- 05 C2 Proficiency
n.your personal opinion or guess about something.
n.an informal term for an individual's opinion, calculation, or impression of a situation.
Simple“By my reckon, we should have arrived at the station ten minutes ago.”
In context“If you want my honest reckon, the whole project is likely to be mothballed before the end of the fiscal year.”
“Perhaps the only thing you really need to know about the modern midfield role is that Enzo Maresca reckons that Marc Guéhi can play it better than Mateo Kovacic.”
“Cartland reckoned on being able to polish off 8,000 words a day.”
From Middle English rekenen, from Old English recenian (“to pay; arrange, dispose, reckon”) and ġerecenian (“to explain, recount, relate”); both from Proto-West Germanic rekanōn (“to count, explain”), from Proto-West Germanic rekan (“swift, ready, prompt”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to make straight or right”). Cognate with Scots rekkin (“to enumerate, mention, narrate, rehearse, count, calculate, compute”), Saterland Frisian reekenje (“to calculate, figure, reckon”), West Frisian rekkenje (“to account, tally, calculate, figure”), Dutch rekenen (“to count, calculate, reckon, charge”), German Low German reken (“to reckon”), German rechnen (“to count, reckon, calculate”), Danish regne (“to calculate”), Swedish räkna (“to count, calculate, reckon”), Icelandic reikna (“to calculate”), Latin rectus (“straight, right”). See also reck, reach.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.