fall apart

phrase

1

: disintegrate

The pie was falling apart as I served it.

2

: to succumb to mental or emotional stress : break down

She began to fall apart when her son was imprisoned.

Examples of fall apart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the alliance fell apart two years ago, leaving Comandos de la Frontera to conduct separate negotiations with Colombia's government. — CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

An old drawer can also start to fall apart as the glue fails or the wood shrinks. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

The conditions largely echo the ones agreed to in the June deal that fell apart. — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

The respite quickly fell apart, and attacks on shipping resumed. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fall apart

• counterpart
• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start