Reverse engineering is a process in which an object or system is taken apart and analyzed to understand how it works, with the goal of reconstructing or replicating it. It involves taking something that already exists and disassembling it to study its components and operations. The term often refers specifically to decompiling software or hardware to learn about their inner workings, but can also be applied more broadly to other fields such as engineering, manufacturing, or design. Reverse engineering is commonly used in industries like technology, where understanding how a product works can help improve upon it or create new innovations based on its existing components.