reverse-engineer

[ri-vurs-en-juh-neer]

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.

Related formsreverse engineering, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for reverse-engineer

Contemporary Examples of reverse-engineer

If we reverse-engineer the progress of the Boeing 777 from this single moment of clarity, where does it begin to get complicated?
How Flight 370 Could Have Become a Zombie
Clive Irving
March 19, 2014
But chefs say their motives are mainly educational: They use them to reverse-engineer their own versions.
The War on Salami Finally Ends!
David Frum
April 30, 2013
Anyone can reverse-engineer a terrific dish , and recreate it elsewhere—whether they attribute it to the original chef or not.
In ‘The Knockoff Economy,’ The Upside to Ripping Off Others’ Ideas
Kal Raustiala, Christopher Sprigman
September 8, 2012