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Synonyms

take apart

British  

verb

  1. to separate (something) into component parts

  2. to criticize or punish severely

    the reviewers took the new play apart
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
take apart Idioms  

  1. Dismantle or disassemble, as in They had to take apart the stereo before they could move it . This usage was first recorded in 1936.

  2. Examine thoroughly, analyze or dissect, as in The teacher embarrassed Tom by taking his thesis apart in front of the class . [Mid-1900s]

  3. Beat up, thrash, as in You'd better be careful; those boys will take you apart . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I was really into fashion and had this idea to rework vintage or take apart something old and make it new.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2024

However, recycling vapes is not straightforward because of their size and the way they are manufactured, which makes them difficult to take apart.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2024

If "Game of Thrones" fell into the same Madonna-Whore trap that Martin laid to take apart, "House of the Dragon" is much more careful in its depiction of Alys, who stays comfortably in her clothes.

From Salon • Aug. 10, 2024

"With this new scanner, we think we're going to be able to take apart a lot more carefully exactly where things have gone wrong. This could help with diagnosis or predicting outcomes in normal people."

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2023

Vintage model car kits or even model cars already put together that he could take apart.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

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.