fall to pieces
idiom
1
: to break into parts
The old map fell to pieces in my hands.
2
: to become ruined or destroyed
His life fell to pieces after his divorce.
3
: to become unable to control one's emotions
When he heard the bad news, he just fell to pieces.
Examples of fall to pieces in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The cast looks gorgeous even when their characters fall to pieces.
—
Darren Franich, EW.com, 7 July 2021
Why did the Communist Party of the Soviet Union fall to pieces?
—Karson Yiu, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2022
Last week's episode of The Boys saw Billy Butcher's (Karl Urban) plans fall to pieces before his eyes.
—Alex Raiman, EW.com, 17 June 2022
Or everything will fall to pieces, leading to the appearance of worse Kang variants.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 18 Apr. 2022
The Blazers have not figured out how to run their offense without center Jusuf Nurkic (out with plantar fasciitis), and that’s caused the entire attack to fall to pieces.
—oregonlive, 2 Mar. 2022
When Sylvie kills Kang, the world does begin to fall to pieces.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 16 July 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Darren Franich, EW.com, 7 July 2021
Why did the Communist Party of the Soviet Union fall to pieces?
—Karson Yiu, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2022
Last week's episode of The Boys saw Billy Butcher's (Karl Urban) plans fall to pieces before his eyes.
—Alex Raiman, EW.com, 17 June 2022
Or everything will fall to pieces, leading to the appearance of worse Kang variants.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 18 Apr. 2022
The Blazers have not figured out how to run their offense without center Jusuf Nurkic (out with plantar fasciitis), and that’s caused the entire attack to fall to pieces.
—oregonlive, 2 Mar. 2022
When Sylvie kills Kang, the world does begin to fall to pieces.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 16 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Fall to pieces.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%20to%20pieces. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share