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 If some clever hacker reverse engineers the algorithm, that system is suddenly wide open. PCMAG, 25 June 2024 When these patents expire, firms can make generic versions of the same drugs by reverse engineering their active ingredients to produce equivalent medicines without incurring the costs of research, development, and testing. Katherine Eban, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2019 To overcome these challenges, the Thousand Brains Project aims to develop a new AI platform by reverse engineering the neocortex, which accounts for about 80 percent of the human brain’s mass. IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2024 It's allegedly been noted by whistleblowers that JSOC worked with the DOE to retrieve crashed alien crafts and reverse engineer the tech, according to Corbell. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 13 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for reverse engineer 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reverse engineer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reverse engineer was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near reverse engineer

Cite this Entry

“Reverse engineer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverse%20engineer. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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