pick apart

Idioms  

1. Also, pick holes in or pick to pieces. Find flaws in something by close examination, criticize sharply, as in The lawyer picked apart the testimony, or He found it easy to pick holes in their argument, or The new editor picked her manuscript to pieces. These expressions use pick in the sense of “pierce” or “poke,” a usage dating from the 1300s; pick holes in dates from the mid-1600s, pick to pieces from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pick apart

Lionel Messi had two assists, deftly helping Argentina’s attack pick apart England’s defense during a 2-1 World Cup semifinal win in Atlanta on Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Objectively, we can pick apart other people’s arguments, especially when it comes to when to claim Social Security, but we can allow him some grace for “what ifs.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

"We have a treasure chest in our hands now that we can pick apart and explore," Briner says.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026

You’ll watch Rex Ryan pick apart your decisions and mutter to yourself: Rex Ryan?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

But I couldn’t pick apart exactly what was pulsing through me.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

• admonish
• berate
• castigate
• chastise
• chide
• denounce
• discipline
• rebuff
• rebuke
• reprimand
• reproach
• scold