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.

What does a reverse engineer do?

Reverse engineering is a process that examines an existing product to determine detailed information and specifications in order to learn how it was made and how it works. For mechanical assemblies, this typically involves disassembly and then analyzing, measuring and documenting the parts.

What does reverse engineering mean in business?

Reverse engineering refers to looking at the solution to figure out how it works. Basically, you you're your business analysis backward from the solution to understand the data, processes, and business rules. Reverse engineering is more common than you think.