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

Marriages fall apart for any number of reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

But our focus has always been more on the parts of us that come together in a crisis, versus the parts of us that fall apart.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

They added these extraordinary efforts to hide his identity began to fall apart in September 2000, after he was charged with defacing a billboard in New York.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

"Fiction is about sharing experiences," he says -- a process that helps us to be "emotionally prepared when something serious happens to us in life, so we don't fall apart."

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

So that I don’t fall apart too, I blurt out, “Would it be all right if Abuela played the oud?”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

• break down
• collapse
• crumble