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.
That's extremely motivating common ground and gives you a starting point to reverse engineer any difficult conversation and focus on the data rather than the drama. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025 Microsoft says it’s developed a prototype AI program that can reverse engineer malware, automating a task usually reserved for expert human security researchers. PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2025 One place to start is to reverse engineer great articles to understand their architecture. Rhea Wessel, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025 Today, the rare earth refining industry is scrambling to reverse engineer Chinese technologies or innovate entirely new ones. Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 June 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 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!