take apart
verb
took apart; taken apart; taking apart; takes apart
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
Jim Murphy2
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
David CorbettExamples of take apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Having your home taken apart to build someone else’s sounds nothing short of disorienting.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025
What Trump has done is apparently he's taken apart the division in the FBI that is responsible for sanctions enforcement and against the Russian oligarchs.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2025
Rather than trying to make sets that the kids put together and take apart daily back into their boxes, use open baskets or clear bins to organize them.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025
Drury, with owner James Dolan’s blessing, is charting a new path, one in which the Rangers’ aging forward group is being taken apart and a very shallow defense corps needs shoring up.
—Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for take apart
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H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025
What Trump has done is apparently he's taken apart the division in the FBI that is responsible for sanctions enforcement and against the Russian oligarchs.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2025
Rather than trying to make sets that the kids put together and take apart daily back into their boxes, use open baskets or clear bins to organize them.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025
Drury, with owner James Dolan’s blessing, is charting a new path, one in which the Rangers’ aging forward group is being taken apart and a very shallow defense corps needs shoring up.
—Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for take apart
Cite this Entry
“Take apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20apart. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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