▸ reckon on PHRASAL VERB If you reckon on something, you feel certain that it will happen and are therefore prepared for it. □ [V -ing P ] They planned a family without reckoning on the small fortune it would cost.
▸ reckon with
1 PHRASAL VERB If you say that you had not reckoned with something, you mean that you had not expected it and so were not prepared for it. □ [V P n] Giles had not reckoned with the strength of Sally's feelings for him.
2 PHRASE If you say that there is someone or something to be reckoned with , you mean that they must be dealt with and it will be difficult. □ This act was a signal to his victim's friends that he was someone to be reckoned with. SYNONYMS reckon VERB 1
think: Nora thought he was seventeen years old.
believe: Experts believe that the coming drought will be extensive.
assume: If the package is wrapped well, we assume the contents are also wonderful.
suppose: It had been supposed that by then Peter would be married.
reck|on|ing /re kən I ŋ/ (reckonings ) N‑VAR [usu poss N ] Someone's reckoning is a calculation they make about something, especially a calculation that is not very exact. □ By my reckoning we were seven or eight kilometres from Borj Mechaab.
re|claim /r I kle I m/ (reclaims , reclaiming , reclaimed )
1 VERB If you reclaim something that you have lost or that has been taken away from you, you succeed in getting it back. □ [V n] In 1986, they got the right to reclaim South African citizenship.
2 VERB If you reclaim an amount of money, for example tax that you have paid, you claim it back. □ [V n] There are eight million people currently eligible to reclaim income tax.
3 VERB When people reclaim land, they make it suitable for a purpose such as farming or building, for example by draining it or by building a barrier against the sea. □ [V n] The Netherlands has been reclaiming farmland from water.
4 VERB [usu passive] If a piece of land that was used for farming or building is reclaimed by a desert, forest, or the sea, it turns back into desert, forest, or sea. □ [be V -ed + by ] The diamond towns are gradually being reclaimed by the desert.
rec|la|ma|tion /re kləme I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Reclamation is the process of changing land that is unsuitable for farming or building into land that can be used. □ [+ of ] …centuries of sea-wall construction and the reclamation of dry land from the marshes.
re|cline /r I kla I n/ (reclines , reclining , reclined )
1 VERB If you recline on something, you sit or lie on it with the upper part of your body supported at an angle. □ [V prep] She proceeded to recline on a chaise longue. [Also V n]
2 VERB When a seat reclines or when you recline it, you lower the back so that it is more comfortable to sit in. □ [V ] Air France first-class seats recline almost like beds. □ [V n] Ramesh had reclined his seat and was lying back smoking.
re|clin|er /r I kla I nə r / (recliners ) N‑COUNT A recliner is a type of armchair with a back that can be adjusted to slope at different angles.
re|cluse /r I kluː s, [AM ] re kluːs/ (recluses ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A recluse is a person who lives alone and deliberately avoids other people. □ His widow became a virtual recluse for the remainder of her life.
re|clu|sive /r I kluː s I v/ ADJ A reclusive person or animal lives alone and deliberately avoids the company of others. □ She had been living a reclusive life since her marriage broke up.
rec|og|nise /re kəgna I z/ → see recognize
rec|og|ni|tion ◆◇◇ /re kəgn I ʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Recognition is the act of recognizing someone or identifying something when you see it. □ He searched for a sign of recognition on her face, but there was none.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Recognition of something is an understanding and acceptance of it. □ [+ of ] The CBI welcomed the Chancellor's recognition of the recession and hoped for a reduction in interest rates.
3 N‑UNCOUNT When a government gives diplomatic recognition to another country, they officially accept that its status is valid. □ His government did not receive full recognition by Britain until July.
4 N‑UNCOUNT When a person receives recognition for the things that they have done, people acknowledge the value or skill of their work. □ At last, her father's work has received popular recognition.
5 PHRASE If you say that someone or something has changed beyond recognition or out of all recognition , you mean that person or thing has changed so much that you can no longer recognize them. [EMPHASIS ] □ The bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. □ The situation has changed out of all recognition.
6 PHRASE If something is done in recognition of someone's achievements, it is done as a way of showing official appreciation of them. □ Brazil normalised its diplomatic relations with South Africa in recognition of the steps taken to end apartheid. COLLOCATIONS recognition NOUN
1
noun + recognition : fingerprint, name, speech, voice; brand, pattern
verb + recognition : aid
4
adjective + recognition : belated, international
verb + recognition : achieve, gain, receive, win; deserve; crave, seek SYNONYMS recognition NOUN 2
acceptance: There was a general acceptance that the defence budget would shrink.