take apart

verb

took apart; taken apart; taking apart; takes apart

transitive verb

1

: to disconnect the pieces of (something) : disassemble

take a machine apart

While the giant engines at the Waterworks were being taken apart piece by piece and examined for damage, temporary sources of power were sought.

—Jim Murphy

2

informal : to treat (someone or something) roughly or harshly : to tear into

The voice in his head that normally took him apart was cutting him some slack. Every now and then, it actually gave him some credit.

—David Corbett

Examples of take apart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hamas has shown little appetite to take apart its military wing or send its Gaza leaders into exile. —Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

The restoration took roughly a year: The car was completely taken apart and put back together with new or refurbished parts, including the engine and wood panels that made up much of the frame. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025

The chemistry of fire is a biochemistry: Fire takes apart what photosynthesis puts together. —Stephen A. Pyne, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2025

They were given a new Model A to take apart and put together again. —Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1