pick apart
phrasal verb
picked apart; picking apart; picks apart
chiefly US
: to say all of the things that are bad or wrong about (someone or something) : to criticize (a person or thing) in a very detailed and usually unkind way
You can expect political analysts to pick apart the governor's speech.
The film's critics picked his performance apart.
Examples of pick apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The two young men with very similar names were chosen just 10 picks apart.
—
Sofia Schwarzwalder, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2025
Fans and critics have picked apart the trailers, grousing about the heavy screen time for Krypto the Superdog (inspired by Gunn’s own dog, who is also a foot biter), or how actor David Corenswet, who plays the iconic superhero, is a relative unknown.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Criminal trials ask survivors to recount their worst memories to jurors and a lawyer vying to pick apart their stories.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2025
The second Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer has reportedly racked up half a billion views across all of social media, according to Rockstar, and naturally, fans are picking apart every single second of it.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
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Sofia Schwarzwalder, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2025
Fans and critics have picked apart the trailers, grousing about the heavy screen time for Krypto the Superdog (inspired by Gunn’s own dog, who is also a foot biter), or how actor David Corenswet, who plays the iconic superhero, is a relative unknown.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2025
Criminal trials ask survivors to recount their worst memories to jurors and a lawyer vying to pick apart their stories.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2025
The second Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer has reportedly racked up half a billion views across all of social media, according to Rockstar, and naturally, fans are picking apart every single second of it.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
Cite this Entry
“Pick apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick%20apart. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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