come/fall apart at the seams

phrase

informal

: to break into parts or pieces

—usually used figuratively to describe someone or something that is in very bad condition

The plan/company is falling apart at the seams.

She looks like she's going to come apart at the seams.

Examples of come/fall apart at the seams in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With the arrival of baby Harry and Jackson’s increasingly long absences from home, Grace’s life starts to come apart at the seams. — Miriam Balanescu, Time, 7 Nov. 2025

Richard’s vengeful ambition and false promises litter the outdoor stage in Sanborn County Park, ultimately reminding everyone that the evils pursued by those in power ultimately come apart at the seams, only the remnants of thick blood left behind. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 30 July 2025

The legend plays an ordinary woman in a blue-collar family who basically starts to come apart at the seams. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025

After this upset playoff defeat, Phoenix began to come apart at the seams and the dysfunction began to become apparent. — Mikai Bruce, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025

Gena Rowlands owns the screen as a woman whose average domestic life starts to come apart at the seams. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025

The movie threatens to come apart at the seams a little here with a lot of expositional talk about how all this government of Spider-Men actually works. — Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2023

Some start to fall mid-workout, or fall apart at the seams after a few washes, and others are sneakily transparent. — Ariel Scotti, PEOPLE.com, 24 Mar. 2022