# reverse-engineer

Pronunciation: US say "ri-vurs en-juh-NEER" /ɹɪˌvɝs ˌɛnd͡ʒəˈnɪɹ/; UK say "ri-vurs en-ji-NEER" /ɹɪˌvɜːs ˌɛnd͡ʒɪˈnɪə/

## Verb

1. To work out or copy the design, specifications, or function of something by closely examining an existing product or prototype.
   - Simple: To figure out how something was made by taking it apart and studying it closely.
   - _Security researchers reverse-engineer malware to understand how it infects computers._
   - _Hobbyists reverse-engineered the discontinued console to produce compatible replacement chips._
2. To build or adapt an implementation so that it conforms more closely to a desired goal.
   - Simple: To build or change something so it matches an intended goal more closely.
   - _Reality-show editors sometimes reverse-engineer an episode, keeping only the scenes that support the story they want to tell._
   - _The vendor reverse-engineered its data pipeline to comply with the new privacy standard._

## Noun

3. A person who studies existing products to work out their design, specifications, or methods of manufacture.
   - Simple: Someone whose job is to study products and figure out how they were made.
   - _A talented reverse-engineer mapped the firmware without any of the original documentation._
   - _The firm employs reverse-engineers who dismantle competitors' hardware to study its construction._

## Origin

A back-formation from the phrase "reverse engineering."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/reverse-engineer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).