Word
reckon
Phoneticsreck·on, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɹɛkən/
UK/ɹˈɛkən/
Definitions
01to think or believe
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · British English
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.
日本語:思う※
“I reckon it will rain later today, so you should take an umbrella.”
“Most of the locals reckon that the new bypass will actually increase traffic congestion rather than solve the town's gridlock issues.”
Usage
Often followed by a 'that' clause, though 'that' is frequently omitted in speech.
02to calculate
C1 · Advanced Mathematics Formal
v. to calculate or figure out a number or amount.
v. to calculate, compute, or determine an amount or number through mathematical means.
“The total cost was reckoned at over five hundred dollars.”
“The final damages were reckoned to be in the millions, once the full extent of the structural failure was assessed by the engineers.”
Usage
Often used in financial or technical contexts regarding totals.
03to consider or regard
C1 · Advanced Literary
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.
日本語:思う※
“He was reckoned among the best writers of his time.”
“In the annals of maritime history, she is reckoned one of the most daring explorers to have ever navigated the southern passages.”
04to deal with (reckon with)
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.
“If you break the rules, you will have to reckon with the manager.”
“The campaign failed because the organisers did not reckon with the sheer scale of public opposition to the proposed tax hikes.”
Usage
Used as a phrasal verb 'reckon with'.
05an opinion
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Informal · British English · Dialect
n. your personal opinion or guess about something.
n. an informal term for an individual's opinion, calculation, or impression of a situation.
“By my reckon, we should have arrived at the station ten minutes ago.”
“If you want my honest reckon, the whole project is likely to be mothballed before the end of the fiscal year.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “reckon” in context.
Verb
01. reckon on a delay
“We didn't reckon on a delay at the border, so we arrived much later than expected.”
verb + prep + noun
02. reckon that the team
“I reckon that the team has a good chance of winning the championship this year.”
verb + that-clause
03. reckon the cost
“They are still trying to reckon the total cost of the flood damage.”
verb + noun
04. reckon without the weather
“They planned a perfect outdoor wedding but reckoned without the unpredictable British weather.”
verb + prep + noun
Adverb
05. generally reckon that
“Experts generally reckon that the economy will recover by next spring.”
adv + verb + that-clause
06. widely reckoned to be
“She is widely reckoned to be the most talented architect of her generation.”
adv + verb + adj
Real-World Examples
“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.” Etymology
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.
Word family
VERB
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/reckon
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0