fall apart

British  

verb

1. to break owing to long use or poor construction

   the chassis is falling apart

2. to become disorganized and ineffective

   since you resigned, the office has fallen apart

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fall apart Idioms  

1. Collapse, break down, either physically or mentally and emotionally. For example, This chair is about to fall apart, or After his wife died, he fell apart. For synonyms for the latter usage, see come apart at the seams; go to pieces.

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Example Sentences

Patched up because of a growing list of injuries, City are seeing their title challenge fall apart.

From BBC

"My world fell apart... The pain felt by a parent who loses a child is unimaginable," he told Swiss broadcaster RTS.

From Barron's

By effectively "pre-folding" the structure at a molecular level, the plastic can fall apart thousands of times faster than usual.

From Science Daily

"It acts like a molecular glue, locking the material together so it doesn't fall apart too quickly once injected."

From Science Daily

That interpretation fell apart when the object vanished and a different bright source appeared nearby.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• break down
• collapse
• crumble