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
As the dust settles from election day, commentators, strategists, and politicians alike will be picking apart voting demographics like this as both Republicans and Democrats figure out which people and policies to back heading into next year's midterms.
—
Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Laying it all out on the table, warts and all, for listeners to pick apart and, yes, be totally shocked over.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Herbert was sacked only twice and picked apart Minnesota, completing 18 of 25 throws, including six to Ladd McConkey for 88 yards and one touchdown and five to Oronde Gadsden for 77 yards and one TD.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
The issue was that quarterback Avery Johnson picked apart the KU secondary on a number of deep throws.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
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Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Laying it all out on the table, warts and all, for listeners to pick apart and, yes, be totally shocked over.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Herbert was sacked only twice and picked apart Minnesota, completing 18 of 25 throws, including six to Ladd McConkey for 88 yards and one touchdown and five to Oronde Gadsden for 77 yards and one TD.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
The issue was that quarterback Avery Johnson picked apart the KU secondary on a number of deep throws.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 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 9 Nov. 2025.
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