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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the case of the Alan Mann Racing 68 Edition, that meant taking apart and laser scanning every component of Ford’s 1968 championship winner—still looked after by Henry Mann—then creating a CAD model to reverse engineer an exact replica. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 28 May 2025 Then, reverse engineer a roadmap to increase your valuation over the next 12 months. Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025 By analyzing the waves, scientists can reverse engineer a map of Earth’s innards, Hua says. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025 Everything was built and reverse engineered around that idea of a scene. Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reverse engineer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverse%20engineer. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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