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
Santos became a celebrity after the news media picked apart his resume following his 2022 election, revealing a string of lies about his education, employment history and a fictional career as a college volleyball star.
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Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Norman-Lott and Gillotte are connected in the fact that the Chiefs drafted them four picks apart in the second and third rounds, respectively.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
Her predilection for fun and romance was picked apart in newspapers’ high society columns.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Much like his comments on Israel, Mamdani’s past statements on the police have been obsessively picked apart by his detractors—a key difference is that managing the cops is an everyday part of the mayor’s job.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
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Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Norman-Lott and Gillotte are connected in the fact that the Chiefs drafted them four picks apart in the second and third rounds, respectively.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
Her predilection for fun and romance was picked apart in newspapers’ high society columns.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Much like his comments on Israel, Mamdani’s past statements on the police have been obsessively picked apart by his detractors—a key difference is that managing the cops is an everyday part of the mayor’s job.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 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 28 Oct. 2025.
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