reverse-engineer

American  

[ri-vurs-en-juh-neer] / rɪˈvɜrs ɛn dʒəˈnɪər /

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

---

Other Word Forms

• reverse engineering noun

Etymology

Origin of reverse-engineer

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

The longer you wait to update, the more time “bad guys could reverse-engineer the patch and figure out what the hole is,” she explained.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

“These are essentially ways that we can reverse-engineer information on a company’s intellectual capital,” Moghtader says.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

So instead, Gemma Galdon and her colleagues decided to reverse-engineer VioGén and do an external audit.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

One consequence of building A.I. systems this way is that it’s difficult to reverse-engineer them or to fix problems by identifying specific bugs in the code.

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

Both the genome and consciousness evolved over millions of years, and to assume that we can reverse-engineer either in a few decades is a tad presumptuous.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2023