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

What’s happening on this season of The Boys At the heart of The Boys is a brash deconstruction of the superhero fantasy, taking apart the traditional comic book superhero arc where super-powered beings save the day and defend those who can’t defend themselves. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 25 June 2024

After Hurricane Ian in 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Idaho National Laboratory engineers conducted research by taking apart the water damaged EVs to understand the impacts of flooding on their batteries. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 15 June 2024

After testing different power levels and durations, Garner arrived at a harmonic vibration device that can take apart pretty much any drive, even those with more welding than screws. —Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 12 Apr. 2024

In 2008, Bill Morris, who runs a recycling company in Colorado, saw men with autism and other developmental disabilities skillfully taking apart electronic devices. —Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 8 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1