reckoning

[rek-uh-ning]

noun

1. count; computation; calculation.

2. the settlement of accounts, as between two companies.

3. a statement of an amount due; bill.

4. an accounting, as for things received or done.

   Synonyms: retribution, judgment

5. an appraisal or judgment.

6. Navigation.,  dead reckoning.

7. day of reckoning.

reckoning

/ ˈrɛkənɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of counting or calculating

2. settlement of an account or bill

3. a bill or account

4. retribution for one's actions (esp in the phrase day of reckoning )

5. nautical short for dead reckoning

Other Word Forms

• prereckoning noun
• self-reckoning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reckoning¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; reckon + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Paul Mescal plays Shakespeare — not the untouchable bard of legend but a husband and father reckoning with grief.

From Los Angeles Times

District officials have countered that temporary pandemic relief postponed the financial reckoning, but that the school system is now spending more than it is taking in.

From Los Angeles Times

And that’s how the season sort of ends with her, of her having this reckoning of, “Is this over for me? Or am I going to keep going?”

From Los Angeles Times

If the promise of AI turns out to be as much of a mirage as dot-coms did, stock investors may face a painful reckoning.

From Los Angeles Times

At their boldest, movies can demand a reckoning, a reconsideration.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• calculation 
• estimation