pick up the pieces
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When he abruptly announces his desire to divorce, she is forced to pick up the pieces of her personal and financial life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
India's ultra-aggressive left-handed opening pair have failed to fire, leaving a shaky middle order to pick up the pieces.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
It is a recognition of veterans’ lives that will never be the same and a resource to help them pick up the pieces.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
On the ground, however, there remains a sense of unity as Sri Lankans pick up the pieces after the floods.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
Ma simply got up to pick up the pieces of the clock she’d been fixing for Earl Baker.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
