reverse-engineer

[ ri-vurs-en-juh-neer ]

/ rɪˈvɜrs ɛn dʒəˈnɪər /

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verb (used with object)

to study or analyze (a device, as a microchip for computers) in order to learn details of design, construction, and operation, perhaps to produce a copy or an improved version.

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Origin of reverse-engineer

First recorded in 1955–60

OTHER WORDS FROM reverse-engineer

reverse engineering, noun

How to use reverse-engineer in a sentence

But Republican and Democratic parties have made efforts to reverse that trend.
Asian-Americans Are The New Florida|Tim Mak|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So now the company is asking the FCC to, in effect, reverse itself.
How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security|Kyle Chayka|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My trip takes the reverse path, and I begin by assessing the depth of my Shakespeare knowledge in his birthplace.
Biking With the Bard|Kara Cutruzzula|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a nascent sound engineer, Brinsley “tried the best he could.”
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay|M.L. Nestel|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The former apprentice engineer retained a lifelong interest in the way things worked.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The engineer officer charged with preparing the line of retreat reported that the one bridge across the Elster was not sufficient.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
When, however, you learn by rote you know the task as you learned it, and not in the reverse way.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Fulton, the American engineer, (originally a painter) studied here in 1795.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
"I thought we hit a man," said the engineer, swinging his lantern far out into the darkness.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
As before suggested, let the pupil recite the foregoing ten events forwards and the reverse way several times from memory.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)