come apart at the seams

Idioms  

1. Also,. Become extremely upset; break down. For example, After he lost his job Brad seemed to come apart at the seams or The proposed bank merger is coming unglued, or When her last play flopped she became completely unstuck. This idiom transfers physical to emotional disintegration. [Slang; mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

The same team leaders driving stressed employees onward—perhaps promising a light at the end of the tunnel or, more likely, setting wildly high metrics to meet—are themselves starting to come apart at the seams.

From Slate • Aug. 1, 2024

From Day 1, teammates say, the transfer quarterback stepped in with a swagger that lifted the locker room, changing a culture that had previously come apart at the seams.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2022

By that point in the special, a year has passed, and we've watched him come apart at the seams, like so many of us have.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2021

He added: "It's all come apart at the seams, this 'put-up job of a defence'."

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2018

Aunty Ifeka went back to her stirring, and Olanna’s image of their marriage began to come apart at the seams.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• flop
• stumble
• wallow