Definition of "reverse"

reverse¹

/ɹɪˈvɜːs/

adjective
not comparable
1. Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction.
2. Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction.
3. (rail transport, of points) To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
4. Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
5. (botany) Reversed.
6. (genetics) In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.
adverb
not comparable
1. (now rare) In a reverse way or direction; in reverse; upside-down.
  Quotations
  The man was killed to feed his image fat / Within this pictured world that ran reverse, / Where miracles alone were ever plain.
  1963, Donal Serrell Thomas, Points of Contact
noun
plural reverses
1. The opposite of something.
2. The act of going backwards; a reversal.
  Quotations
  By a reverse of fortune, Stephen becomes rich.
  1808, Charles Lamb, Specimens of the English Dramatic Poets Who Lived About the Time of Shakespeare
3. A piece of misfortune; a setback.
  Quotations
  And the cold truth such sad reverse did seemAs to awake in grief from some delightful dream.
  1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, page 192
  Simon Forman was notorious in his day, and was a many of many reverses.
  1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 156
  In fact, though the Russians did not yet know it, the British had met with a reverse.
  1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 309
4. (numismatics) The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse.
5. The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side.
6. The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards.
7. A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
  Quotations
  but first , master see thee pass thy punto , thy stock , thy reverse , thy guest
  c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene iii]
8. (surgery) A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.

reverse²

/ɹɪˈvɜːs/

verb
third-person singular simple present reverses, present participle reversing, simple past and past participle reversed
1. (transitive) To turn something around so that it faces the opposite direction or runs in the opposite sequence.
2. (transitive) To turn something inside out or upside down.
  Quotations
  A pyramid reversed may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill.
  1672, William Temple, Essay on the Original and Nature of Government
3. (transitive) To transpose the positions of two things.
4. (transitive) To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
  Quotations
  Reverse the doom of death.
  c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i]
  They reversed the conduct of the celebrated vicar of Bray.
  1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […]
5. (obsolete, intransitive) To return, come back.
  Quotations
  Bene they all dead, and laide in dolefull herse? / Or doen they onely sleepe, and shall againe reuerse?
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie
6. (obsolete, transitive) To turn away; to cause to depart.
  Quotations
  And that old dame said many an idle verse, / Out of her daughter's heart fond fancies to reverse.
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, stanza 48
7. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to return; to recall.
  Quotations
  And to his fresh remembrance did reverse / The ugly view of his deformd crimes.
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, stanza 48
8. (law) To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite.
  Quotations
  From March 30, LNER was running around 40% of its trains and had suspended its Aberdeen, Inverness and Hull services, although it reversed the latter decision after Hull Trains suspended operations.
  2020 April 8, “Network News: Emergency timetables and the number of services cut”, in Rail, page 15
9. (ergative, transport) To cause a mechanism to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal; to drive a vehicle in the direction the driver has the back.
  Quotations
  Richardson dropped into the six-foot between the two engines, ran for a few yards, grabbed Mitchell's engine, and swung himself up. Mitchell had got to his feet by this time, but he made no move. Richardson shut off steam, reversed her, and brought her to a stand.
  1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 54
10. (chemistry) To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.
11. (rail transport, transitive) To place (a set of points) in the reverse position.
12. (rail transport, intransitive, of points) To move from the normal position to the reverse position.
13. (aviation, transitive) To engage reverse thrust on (an engine).
14. To overthrow; to subvert.
  Quotations
  These can divide, and these reverse, the state.
  c. 1699 – 1703, Alexander Pope, “The First Book of Statius His Thebais”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], published 1717
  Custom […] reverses even the distinctions of good and evil.
  a. 1729, John Rogers, Conformity to the World destructive of our Happiness
15. (computing) Short for reverse-engineer.
  Quotations
  Reversing is also heavily used in connection with malicious software, on both ends of the fence: […]
  2011, Eldad Eilam, Reversing: Secrets of Reverse Engineering
  […] but in some instances where malware is proving to be difficult, reversing is needed.
  2012, Christopher C. Elisan, Malware, Rootkits & Botnets: A Beginner's Guide, page 117

Definition of "reverse"

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reverse2

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reverse¹

reverse²