reverse engineer

verb

reverse engineered; reverse engineering; reverse engineers

transitive verb

: to disassemble and examine or analyze in detail (a product or device) to discover the concepts involved in manufacture usually in order to produce something similar
reverse engineering noun

Examples of reverse engineer in a Sentence

They reverse engineered the software.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Then the same program reverse engineers that process to create a new picture, minus the noise. John Werner, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Instagram might roll out a way to share comments on other Instagram posts to Threads, according to Alessandro Paluzzi, who often reverse engineers Meta’s social media apps to find coming features. Wes Davis, The Verge, 15 Sep. 2024 That compulsion to reverse engineer serious stakes for a fundamentally frivolous story is Twisters’ most contemporary quality and its most irritating. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 16 July 2024 Glen Bell, a World War II veteran who opened a hamburger stand across the street in the early 1950s, would eat at Mitla in the evenings, then go back to his own spot and try to reverse engineer those delicious tacos. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for reverse engineer 

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reverse engineer was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near reverse engineer

Cite this Entry

“Reverse engineer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverse%20engineer. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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