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
Matthew Stafford threw for 273 yards and picked apart the Buccaneers, completing 25 of his 35 passes, to add momentum to his Most Valuable Player candidacy and continue the best Rams' start to a season since 2018.
—
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Nov. 2025
Irimpen’s research at Tulane helps pick apart these cascades.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for pick apart
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.
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Nov. 2025
Irimpen’s research at Tulane helps pick apart these cascades.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
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
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 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share